Data as the Game-Changer: How Higher Education Can Navigate Today’s Challenges
In a Campus Technology interview, Jason Simon, Associate Vice President of Data, Analytics, and Institutional Research at the University of North Texas, underscores the crucial role of data in tackling existential challenges in higher education. His insights, set to be elaborated in the 2023 Tech Tactics in Education conference, highlight the urgency for higher education institutions to develop analytic maturity in the face of a “new normal”. Simon points to dwindling high school graduate numbers and a decrease in public confidence in higher education’s value as key challenges. He emphasizes the need for institutions to improve their use of data, data governance, and data literacy to demonstrate their value more effectively.
However, Simon identifies several barriers preventing effective data usage in higher education. These include the absence of a clear executive sponsor for data initiatives, lack of comprehensive data audits, and insufficient data literacy. He asserts that without overcoming these obstacles and fully leveraging data, institutions will struggle to address the current challenges effectively. His upcoming session aims to shed light on how analytics, data literacy, and data governance can help save higher education from these pressing issues.
Source: Why Data Is the Most Important Tool for a Higher Education Leader . (n.d.). Campus Technology.
