Hybrid Vigor: Infusing IT into IR Terrence Willett Director of Planning and Research Cabrillo College CAIR San Francisco November 6, 2015

@AsteroidWatch

SQL saved my life >

SQL ruined my life >

Hybridizing Social Science Researcher Add database design and SQL programming Researcher with infusion of IT Database Programmer Add research methods and operationalization DBA with infusion of IR

The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology – Raymond Kurzweil

Things I Learned from IT Meritocracy Stay current, stay sharp Project management Open source ideas v. proprietary knowledge Everything has already been hacked

Becoming an IR/IT Hybrid Pros Extract custom data on demand Improved relationships with IT Broader skill set for staff Broader involvement with campus operations Programming is cool Cons Learning curve for databases and programming skills Shift of focus from classic research to reporting and operations Hybrids are hard to find and usually must be developed

Countervailing Factors IR becoming IE Institutional Effectiveness focus on accountability with policies and procedures Categorical Funding Evaluation research more akin to social science research Increased programming overhead.NET framework and other highly complex and specialized IT skills required for sophisticated reporting

Thank You Terrence Willett Director of Planning and Research Cabrillo Community College