Enhancing Student Support Services at UniSA through Data Mining

1. Building Institutional Capability through the Mining of Student Support DataAlexandra Greene and Stella Birve

2. Outline of presentation • Background of project • Management Reporting Environment at UniSA • Case Studies • Future Direction

3. University of South Australia • 2009 Snapshot • 29,000+ students (excluding transnational) • 4 metropolitan campuses • - City West, City East, Magill, Mawson Lakes • 2 regional campuses • - Whyalla, Mt Gambier • 2,500+ staff

4. Learning and Teaching Unit (LTU) • Learning and Teaching Unit– UniSA’s Student Services • Learning advice: Writing assignments, Referencing, English language proficiency • Counselling services: Time and task management, Personal and communication skills, Studying and making friends • Career services: Career planning, Job search skills, Employer events, online vacancies for casual, part-time and graduate positions • Disability advice: Assistive technology, Assessment modifications, Alternative format materials • International advice: Student visa requirements, settling into Adelaide • Research services: Research management, Research writing

5. Learning and Teaching Unit (LTU) • Learning and Teaching Unit services are provided: • On-campus Workshops: workshops are offered throughout the year for students and staff • In person: individual contacts through ‘drop-in’ sessions (a short 10-15 minute session with no prior booking required or pre booked 30 minute appointments

6. Planning and Assurance Services (PAS) • Business Intelligence (BI) Team within PAS • Establishing and Coordinating the University’s BI strategy • Developing and managing a corporate wide BI application environment • Establishing a comprehensive and consistent enterprise data resource meeting the information needs of the University

7. Business Intelligence at UniSA: • UniSA’s Reporting Environment • Web-based management reporting system • established 2004: UniSAinfo Reporting • Products: data cube, reports • 500+ staff trained

8. LTU pre-existing recording system • LTU recording system – LTU Reporting • Session Date • Campus • Professional group • Reason • Outcome • Contact type • Poor reporting capability • Ad-hoc basis • Time consuming • Comparative trend analysis was impossible

9. Deployment of LTU Student Visit cube • LTU and the BI Team within PAS worked together • LTU Student Visit cube was created in 2005 • Integration of LTU data with student demographic data • Allowed LTU staff to readily create reports • Enabled LTU staff to explore data and indentify patterns and trends by slicing and dicing the cube

11. Deployment and Training • Management of data quality underpinned by training • Training to each professional group – small group sessions, staff have common understanding of teams reporting needs • Scenario training – relevant scenarios important to place into context for staff who’s work was previously non-data orientated • One to one training – made available for individuals having difficulties in using the cube and understanding data • Refresher training every year – maintain and improve skill levels ensuring data integrity

12. Committing to Continuous Improvement • Outcomes • PAS and LTU continued collaboration • Awareness and appreciation of data influence • Commitment to improve data quality • Changes in work practice • LTU staff engaged with data

13. Improving Student Support Services • How the data is being used • Provide regular reports to stakeholders • Division/Faculty activity reports • Planning and allocation of resources • LTU Evaluation Group • LTU student contact model review • LTU case Studies

14. LTU Career Contacts

15. Student Demographics and Learning Adviser Contacts

16. Repeat Contacts with Learning Advisers Students that made contact over 10 times • Top reasons for repeat contact • Written communication – English for academic purposes • Cognitive skills- interpreting tasks; developing a structure • Written communication – grammar and sentence structure • Cognitive skills – developing argument • Referencing and avoiding plagiarism • Study Strategies – time and workload mgt • Study strategies –studying a subject • Oral communication – for study and profession

17. Learning Adviser Workshops • Generic workshops: Referencing, Improving your English, Exam Preparation. • Health Sciences UniSkills series: • Surviving at Uni -Academic reading, • Speed reading, • How different is a scientific essay? • Assessments –are they all the same? • To Google or not to Google! • Mind mapping, • Finding your critical voice, • Editing your own work, • An ounce of Integrity - Using sources, • Exam preparation workshops, • Client Interaction

18. One to one contacts with Learning Advisers 1:1 contacts with Learning Advisers

19. Student Contact Model Review • For consideration: • Move to appointment model, • No more ‘drop-ins’ • Reducing unnecessary repeat visits • Online booking system • Putting the responsibility back to the student • Positive student experience • “Engagement is not the primary goal of university, but we do know that students won’t stick around to get an education unless they are satisfied with the overall experience” (George Kuh 2009)

20. Where to from here? • Future • LTU and PAS continue to work together • Ongoing training opportunities for staff • UniSAinfo Reporting upgrade • Opportunity for ‘real time’ reporting • Management reporting integrated with other data

21. UniSA BI Environment UniSAinfo Reporting