Colleges and universities are supposed to be a collection of the best and the brightest, coming together to not only further personal learning but to push the world’s knowledge forward. From admissions to graduation, schools turn to big data in order to best cater to the needs of the faculty and student body and, hopefully, to bring in better underclassmen every year. The success of students and school, then, greatly depend on the effectiveness of the selection process. Between big data and recruiters, the process of placing the right students in the university and the environment that they are most likely to grow and succeed can lead to countless graduating classes prepared to enter the world and make great strides in their respective field.
Picking and Choosing
The success of a college depends on the drive of the students just as much as the balance between academics and all the other stuff that a college provides. Balance comes from the kinds of students admitted, their interests, and their academic abilities. Without a selection process that finds this right balance within the incoming student body (in addition to the current students), the university can lose money and their reputation.
Data collection is an interesting subject. In the digital age, we’re all used to having everything we’d ever need to know just a click away. But with big data, collecting, storing, and analyzing new information proves to be a tricky business. We’ve gotten to a point where there is too much data to save and interpret with the current methods. However, this isn’t typically the case on the levels that universities work at.
For most people, the selection process is a shrouded and mysterious subject. If data is collected about applicants, how is it used? Business intelligence software is employed to help universities extract even more out of the data they have. The result? Universities find the students that are best for their courses and make sure that each individual student has the attention and tools they need before they even step onto campus in the fall.
The Need for Big Data
As colleges and universities collect data about their past, current, and potential students, they learn a lot of things. With the exception of small private schools, most colleges house and teach thousands of students. And there isn’t just academics to worry about– they have to consider billing and financial aid, housing, diversity, courses and majors, resources, professors, and everything down to the food served in the cafeterias. The large scale that universities have to deal with depends of wide overviews and accurate, up to date data in order to balance their already tight budgets.
As big data finds its was into universities across the country, and administrators are learning to use that data to its full potential, schools are able to improve the overall experience that can offer students and better prepare their graduates for the world at large.
