Colleges Embrace Data Analytics to Improve Student Retention - Jacquelyn Bengfort, EdTech

As more states adopt funding formulas based on student performance — such as graduation rates and degrees awarded — higher education institutions are ­laser-focused on improving retention. Regardless of state policy, however, such strategies make fiscal sense: Enrolling a new student is more expensive than retaining a current one. To both control those costs and serve students more effectively, many institutions leverage data analytics. Temple University’s Fox School of Business developed its analytics initiative in concert with a major curriculum review, which included surveying businesses and focus groups about the ­competencies they look for in graduates. The school then looked for a way to help students measure their competencies in an integrated, cross-course fashion. “We wanted to demonstrate value and return on investment to a student’s degree,” says Cliff Tironi, Fox’s performance analytics manager. https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2017/08/colleges-embrace-data-analytics-improve-student-retention