We’re also using big data to gain insight into a range of processes across campus, from studying what makes high-achieving programs successful, to training advisors with metrics-driven feedback, to measuring on-campus engagement, and even designing new degrees.
For example, after we uncovered a trend in data that showed our theatre students were lagging behind others in participating in global education opportunities, we revised the degree path to incorporate global education into the body of the major. These types of course corrections are easier to make and to justify with the backing of data evidence.
Data. Insights. Campus-wide improvement.
With two full years of data securely stored on our platform and more being collected every day, we are in an incredible position to quickly react and adapt to campus-wide challenges. We’ve found that it’s no longer just academics that create a successful, thriving student, but the combination of academic coursework and an enriched on-campus experience. To create the best experience possible, it’s becoming increasingly important for schools to recognize the value of data they already have in their possession and invest in using that data to fuel innovation.
Collecting data, if not done properly, is meaningless. Data’s value is in the insights it uncovers and those insights are only possible with a system that can aggregate, integrate, and store it in ways that make it easy to understand and react to patterns. The good news is it’s easier and more cost-effective than ever to invest in data. Today, universities have the ability to holistically influence student and staff outcomes, creating massive new opportunities for innovation.
Dr. Rodney L. Parks is the registrar, director of Summer College, and director of Winter Term at Elon University where he has served since January 2013. Dr. Parks also serves as an assistant professor in the Human Services Science Department. Parks earned his Ph.D. in Counseling from the University of Georgia and has published numerous research studies and book chapters focusing on the unique populations of students navigating higher education.
Dr. Parks is also a U.S. Navy veteran having served as a naval medic stationed in the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm as well as other duty stations in Europe and the United States. He was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal with Gold Star, Southeast Asia Serve Medal with Bronze Star, National Defense Service Medal, and the Kuwaiti Liberation Medal. Dr. Parks is an active member in CACRAO and AACRAO and currently serves on the Executive Committee for SACRAO.