Dive Brief:
- Excel is the data analysis tool of choice for a professor and former dean at San Antonio College, David A. Wood, Jr., who tracks student performance using exam questions and adjusts his teaching in response.
- Campus Technology reports the approach has increased test scores and heightened the quality of student inquiry in class, indicating students have a deeper understanding of course concepts.
- The same Excel spreadsheet tracks student achievement of identified learning outcomes based on test performance, and the information ultimately gets logged into the campuswide data system, according to the article.
Dive Insight:
Many colleges and universities are experimenting with data analytics on an institutional level to track student achievement and metrics that lead to retention. They are often carried out through specialized programs using new technologies. Wood’s simple use of Excel to track measurable positive outcomes is impressive. On many campuses, convincing faculty to adopt data tracking into their workload is the hardest part. Introducing the Excel method to additional faculty at San Antonio hit similar resistance, but, as Campus Technology reports, once people can be convinced of the effectiveness, they can be persuaded to take on the extra work.