LIGHTS, DATA, ACTION! Is 2016 the year that predictive analytics in higher education moves from hype to reality? Several indicators are pointing in that direction, Gates Bryant writes in Campus Technology. First, new interoperability standards, such as the Caliper Framework, are making it easier to integrate disparate data from different tools and technologies and provide a holistic view of students’ learning experiences.
Another sign of change afoot is the amount of mergers, acquisitions and investments in data-driven advising and planning. Hobsons’ acquisition of PAR Framework and Civitas Learning’s acquisition of CollegeScheduler are among recent examples. “There is a greater chance academic advisers will no longer have to act like day traders, jumping from one software application to another to get the full view of where a student is and where he or she is headed,” Bryant writes. We're not there yet, though, he says. Companies and institutions will have to work together to close the loop between data and action.
