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Pushing Data: Institutional Researchers as Workshop Facilitators

Morgan Blair, Wasiq Ali, Allison CampbellMedicine Hat College

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Overview

Our Role As Data Pushers

Theoretical Approaches

Institutional Context

Workshop Design

Outcomes

Future Directions

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Pushing Data

Information Authority

Policy Analyst

Spin Doctor

Scholar / Researche

r

Knowledge Manager

Adapted from Volkwein (2008)

Five Faces of IR

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Pushing Data

How do we effectively push data?

Be strategic: connect data to institutional goals, match project to people who care, multiple mediums

Don’t just wait for opportunities, create them

Build value and create need

Adapted from Leimer (2011)

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Theoretical Approaches

• Mentor, colleagueLiberal

• Hierarchical, directivesBehaviorist

• Collectivism, problem solvingProgressive

• Individualism, self-directednessHumanistic

• Change agent, pusherRadicalAdapted from Mulcrone, 1993

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Institutional Context

Community college with ~2,500 FLE Young IR office Data distributed in flat reports Data was nice to have, but…

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The Flat Line

Number of Hits to Intranet Page Prior to Change in Approach

-1

0

1

Num

ber o

f Hits

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Stealth Radicalism

View stakeholders in dichotomies

Pushing for a cultural changes

Fostering a culture of data-driven decision making

Discouraging decisions based on “gut feeling”

Social and political change

Critical investigation

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Impetus for Change

“…value transparent, consistent, and integrated use of

information in decision making.”

 

“Our aim is to transform from a standard institutional

research office to one of the most trusted, innovative,

and influential advisory groups on campus.”

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Impetus for Change

Operationalizing a change towards evidence-based decision

making using stealth radical approach:

Dashboards

Senior management involvement

Workshops

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Workshops

Workshops are designed to: Enhance evidence-based decision making at all levels

Increase participant comfort with the use of data and dashboards

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Workshop Design

1. Introduction of meeting topic

2. Overview of dashboard

3. Engagement exercise: Facts on the Fly

4. Delivery of the problem to be solved

5. Break into working groups with dashboards

6. Group Discussion

7. Document Outcomes

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Workshop Examples

SEM Goal Setting

Retention strategy development

Academic Advisors

Recruiters

International Education

Program Review

Budget Process

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Workshop Outcomes

Participants:

Gain increased comfort with complex data

Gain increased sense of ownership of data, decisions and

outcomes

Develop self-sufficiency in accessing data

Seed change

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Workshop Outcomes

“Walking us through the process was great, doing it in person is always better, and now I feel more knowledgeable about data.”

“It was surprising to see how much we had accomplished in such a short time.”

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The Resuscitation

Number of Hits to Intranet Page Since Change in Approach

2014

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The Resuscitation

Number of Hits to Online Institutional Quick Facts20

13-0

920

13-1

020

13-1

120

13-1

220

14-0

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Num

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f Hits

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Workshop Outcomes

Advancement of Mandate:

Insight: how non-data people process data

Where their interest exists

Increase departmental profile

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Workshop Outcomes

“We know where to go to get data, and we can collaborate on our data needs.”

“As we study the data, Strategic Research & Analysis will guide us on how to dig deeper and find more information to meet our needs.”

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Future Approach

Radical Progressive Humanistic

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Conclusions

Radical approach is effective

Be strategic, tailor approach

Create opportunity and need

Benefits to internal stakeholders and IR department

Adjust approach as institution matures