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NJAIR hosted a free virtual conference to provide attendees with an opportunity to engage with a variety of topics related to research, data analysis, assessment, planning, and effectiveness presented by New Jersey institutions of higher education.
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All IR and Assessment professionals, from New Jersey and beyond, were invited to join us!
This year, we had 9 sessions organized into the following 3 tracks: Data Management and Governance, Analytics and Technology, and Student Success and Program Assessment/Strategic Planning and Decision Making.
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The New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) also presented on current data collection activities, coming changes, and ongoing research projects.
Attendees' Locations
Presentation Descriptions, Slides, and Videos
NJOSHE Updates
During this session we will present some major updates for the 2024-25 research and reporting period that will impact institutions. We will focus on federal IPEDS survey changes and any associated changes to State level data collections. We will focus on specific state-level data collection activities and preview some upcoming changes and issues for discussion. We will also preview and review some current research activities and deliverables developed by the OSHE research team.
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Chad L. May
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Director of Research and Analysis
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New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE)
Introduction to the New Jersey Statewide Data System
This session will provide an overview of the New Jersey Statewide Data System, the State's P20W longitudinal data system which includes data from K-12, higher education, and the workforce. The purpose of NJSDS is to help the public and stakeholders make data-informed decisions to improve public policies and practices for New Jersey residents. This includes facilitating longitudinal and linked-data research, providing statistical data, and publishing reports on the NJSDS website. Presenters will share additional background about the system, provide an overview of recent research, and discuss future initiatives.
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Stephanie Walsh, Assistant Director of Research
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Khudodod Khudododov, Research Project Manager
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Rutgers University, Heldrich Center
Visualizing Data Lineages
Institutions grapple with vast amounts of data including student records, administrative systems, and research endeavors. Furthermore, institutions are required to report on this data with nuanced differences to various agencies. Ensuring these nuanced differences trace back to a common data source can be cumbersome in a team environment. Documenting your data’s lineage can help institutional reporting teams ensure consistency, however, drawing lineages can be tedious and time consuming. This presentation reviews some of the approaches Rowan University has taken to document and visualize their data lineages, including: manual lineage drawing and layout using Office Apps/Google Apps, manual lineage drawing with automated layout using YEd Desktop/YEd Live, automated lineage drawing and layout of SQL hierarchies using iGraph for R/Python, and continuous lineage monitoring of cross-platform data pipeline with Informatica.
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David Manley
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Senior Institutional Research Analyst
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Rowan University
Data hubs? Dashboards? Infographics? Supporting Students at Princeton
The VPCL Strategic Indicators Dashboard / Infographic compiles various indicators across the undergraduate and graduate student experience, using surveys as the primary data source. Each of the data points selected is aligned with the Campus Life Strategic Plan 2020-2025. Insights from the dashboard could be used to enhance understanding of all, regularly collected data that is related to the Campus Life Strategic Plan, easily access more robust cuts of these datasets and request access necessary to do so, and to inform the continued work and assessment of offices directly charged with implementing aspects of the Campus Life Strategic Plan.
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Jon Stoessel
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Institutional Research Analyst
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Princeton University
Why Undergraduate Outcomes Data are Important
The presentation will use comprehensive outcome data to demonstrate that a college degree provides a solid foundation that adds value and helps to prepare students for meaningful lives and careers. We will discuss how institutions can use these data to inform programming, identify gaps, surface emerging needs, and assess progress towards goals and objectives. These data extend and contextualize existing data that are available to the public and importantly help students, and their families see breadth of potential opportunities that our institutions enable.
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Jed Marsh
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Vice Provost for Institutional Research
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Princeton University
Bootstrapping AI and Machine Learning in IR
As higher education faces the challenge of innovating without extra financial resources, bootstrapping has become an art form. This presentation explores the integration of AI and machine learning (ML) within institutional research (IR), catering to all -- AI users, non-users, and those experimenting with machine learning projects. We will share how open-source tools can transform IR operations from descriptive reporting to machine learning levels of predictive and prescriptive analysis. The session will include techniques for interactive data visualization and demonstrations on working with both quantitative data and text data (Natural Language Processing). We will also explore the benefits of practicing with simulated data, which is invaluable for testing and refining methods before full implementation. Yes, it will be a fast-paced session (akin to a drive on the Garden State Parkway perhaps?), but the ultimate destination is to equip attendees with customizable approaches for bootstrapping innovation in IR.
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Viktoria Popova
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Executive Director of Institutional Effectiveness, Analytics, and Planning; Chief AI Officer
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Centenary University
Enhancing Student Success through AI-Powered Applications
This presentation will demonstrate how AI, specifically ChatGPT, enhances student and faculty success in higher education. It introduces a Python-based application that integrates with ChatGPT to handle queries about courses, schedules, and seat availability. Users can ask questions through the application, and the background process provides solutions based on stored database information. The application securely retrieves data from the database and the Banner system, ensuring ChatGPT doesn't directly access it. With JWT-secured API endpoints, the solution guarantees data security, flexibility, and minimal setup. It's cost-effective, scalable, and adaptable, significantly improving access to critical information for students and faculty while enhancing administrative efficiency. Highlighting its benefits, this AI-powered approach has the potential to transform higher education by providing timely, accurate information, contributing to user success and satisfaction.
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Sahana Varadaraju
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Senior Application Developer
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Rowan University
Simplifying Data Sources with a Data Matrix
The Rowan University Office of Institutional Research & Analytics identified a critical need for a unified data source amidst various survey types we encounter. Our presentation will delve into the reasons behind this necessity, outlining the creation process of what we term the “Data Matrix”. This singular data repository aims to drive our dashboards and other reporting mechanisms, catering to both internal and external reporting requirements. We'll discuss challenges we have encountered and our strategies to overcome them. Additionally, we'll highlight the integration of Tableau to enhance our readiness for external surveys.
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Jamie Kifferly
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Institutional Research Analyst
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Rowan University
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Bharathwaj Vijayakumar (Vijay)
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Senior Data & Business Intelligence Analyst
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Rowan University
Year of the DAWG? Emphasizing "Data Comfort" through the Data Analytics Working Group (DAWG) at Princeton
The Data Analytics Working Group (DAWG) was re-convened in February 2023. DAWG has five main objectives which are to encourage dialogue among data users to share their experiences of using various datasets, highlight the interdisciplinary nature of this work across units, focus on how data projects can be created / delivered / received by the campus community, foster a welcoming environment for sharing analytics project successes / challenges, and to exchange best practices for visualization and analysis. All done in a comfortable and low-stakes environment with no expertise required.
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Jon Stoessel
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Institutional Research Analyst
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Princeton University
Leveraging Data Visualization for Institutional Effectiveness
In today’s data-driven world, higher education institutions face the challenge of harnessing the power of data to enhance their effectiveness. Through the inception of the Division of Strategic Analytics and Data Illumination, Kean University has empowered its community to access, analyze, and utilize data to support decision-making and foster innovation. This presentation explores the pivotal role of data visualization for driving institutional effectiveness, offering insight into how visual representation of data can drive informed and streamline decision-making in course registration, and enrollment management. Through our historical and real-time student data, attendees will gain the highlights of how Kean is utilizing data visualization in transforming enrollment datasets into actionable insights and fostering the data-driven culture across the institution. By leveraging data visualization strategies, institutions can make more informed decisions, gain deeper insights, and achieve their goals with greater efficiency and impact.
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Nima Sherpa
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Lead Data Analyst
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Neva Lozada
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Associate Vice President of Administration
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Hong Gao, Director
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Kean University