Benchmarking & Graduate Tracer Studies November 8, 2017
Session Outline Brief Introduction to the Benchmarking Initiative Presentation by MyCOS Data Q&A and Discussion
Objectives of the Benchmarking Initiative Enable African universities to improve their performance based on comparative standardized data and metrics (meeting a set of minimum standards) Provide information to country level policy makers to assess progress of the participating universities Build capacity in an African institution to manage and analyze the data
Introduction to the Benchmarking Initiative Mini-pilot of 7 universities in 2014 Launched in Accra in November 2015 Scaled-up pilot with 31 universities in 2016 (48 had signed up) Capacity building workshop in Abuja in 2016 (50+ universities)
Host Institution Selection Facilitate and establish Benchmarking, Graduate Tracer Studies and related activities in the region; Capacity Building Activities Partnerships
The Host Institution for the Regional Data hub… SSA organization/institution based in the region, with a legal entity status and with existing professional staff Expertise in data analytics and/or institutional research and reporting Capable of providing capacity building support and workshops in SSA Credible within the higher education community in Africa Ability to work in English and French preferred (plus Portuguese desired) Existing regular stream of funding and be willing to generate additional funding
Next Steps Develop a graduate tracer study tool Update and adjust benchmarking methodology for the next round Sign-up by ACEs and universities to participate Next round of benchmarking/pilot tracer study (Feb./Mar 2018) Selection of an African Institution to host the initiative (early 2018) Call for proposals in a week or two!
Q & A/Discussion What kind of Information would you like to obtain from a graduate tracer study? Through what medium can we guarantee the highest response rate? How can we incentivize survey takers in order to increase the response rate?