1. Improving Student Success Through Data-Informed Decision-Making
Montgomery County Community College
Innovations 2010

2. Presenters Dr. Karen A. Stout, President
Celeste Schwartz, Vice President for Information Technology
Leon Hill, Director of Institutional Research and Assessment
Dr. Kathrine Swanson, Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness and Enrollment Management

3. College Background
19,677 credit and 13,092 non-credit students annually (total = 32,769)
County of about 800,000 residents in Suburban Philadelphia
Two campuses (Blue Bell and Pottstown) and multiple locations
Highly competitive higher education market
42 percent of student body is 18-21
More than half seek transfer with 23 percent enrolled in Liberal Studies

4. College Background
Since 2004, growth of 20 percent in credit headcount, 9 percent in non-credit headcount and 22 percent in credit FTEs
$66 million operating budget
44 percent from students
29 percent from State
26 percent from County

5. College Background Student Success Focus
Student Success goals anchor current strategic plan (2005 to 2010)
One of 10 pilot colleges in First Year College experience pilot ( )
Selected as an Achieving the Dream participant (2006)
Secured a Title III grant to address gaps identified in First Year College pilot self-study (2006)

6. Developing a Culture of Evidence

7. Maturity of Capability by Stage
Level One: Analytically Impaired
Level Two: Localized Analytics
Level Three: Analytical Aspirations
Level Four: Analytical Institutions
Level Five: Analytic “competitors”
Level one has no organization, no human skills and fragmented technology
Level Two has pockets of isolated analytics and unintegrated transactional data systems
Level Three has a CEO with a willingness but a resistant culture with data marts and warehouse in early development stages
Level Four have broad senior management buy in, some evidence of culture change and high quality data and processes
Level Five is using data for deep and continuous renewal and change, highly skilled analytical professionals and enterprise wide systems plus highly engaged CEO and institutional buy in

8. Culture of Evidence

9. Culture of Evidence
Begins with the mission statement and a focus on evaluation
“The College views education as a dynamic process that brings to the community a diverse, constantly changing set of learning opportunities; opportunities that grow, change, transform and multiply as the community and our learners confront and react to ever present change. Thus, to fully meet our mission, the College participates in on-going self-assessment and review in order to enhance and improve instructional programs and services to students and the county we serve.”

10. Support and Tools

11. Operational Effectiveness Process Effectiveness
Institutional Effectiveness
ERP Reports
ERP Reporting Applications
ERP QueryBuilder
Microsoft FRx Reporter
iStrategy HigherEd Analytics – Data Warehousing
Microsoft Desktop Tools (Excel, Access)
SAS/SPSS
Business Objects Business Objects Business Objects Business Objects Crystal Reports Web Intelligence Dashboard Builder Performance Management

12. ODS Staging Table OLAP Cubes Relational Tables DATA WAREHOUSE REPORTS
ETL
ERP
System
Other Systems Data
STRATEGIC
ANALYTIC
Ad-Hoc

13. Why iStrategy Designed specifically for higher education
Integrated with Colleague
Provided secure self-service reporting and analytical capabilities
Modeled after best practices in data warehouse methodology and design
(Why iStrategy)
~ (Designed specifically for higher education)
We chose iStrategy because it was designed specifically for higher education.
~ (Integrated with Colleague)
Additionally, it was integrated with Datatel Colleague, our Administrative Software System.
~ (Provided secure self-service reporting and analytical capabilities)
Our executive team wanted a solution that would provide self-service reporting and analytical capabilities. Stress this.
~ (Modeled after best practices in data warehouse methodology and design)
Finally, the iStrategy solution is modeled after best practices.

14. Implementing iStrategy
Our Implementation

15. iStrategy Implementation Process
Validation of Data
“Data Cleaning”
Training

16. Data Validation Add these non-Accuplacer tests
Non-accuplacer tests if you need them:
Paper Pencil test for arithmetic = MAT.1
Paper Pencil test for elementary algebra = MAT.2
Paper Pencil test for intermediate algebra = MAT.3
Workshop for MAT010 = MAT010.2WK
H.S.Algebra 2 = MHS
Arithmetic Part 1 = MPT.1.12
Beginning Algebra Part 2 = MPT.13.27
Intermediate Algebra Part 3 = MPT.28.39
Exempt for Math first level = MPT.EXEMPT
Semester Math Placement Test = MPT.SEM
Math placement test second level part 1 algebra = AMPT.1.15
Math placement test second level part 2 trig = AMPT.16.25
H.S.Algebra = HS.ALG
H.S.Math Unit = HS.MATH
Exempt from reading placement test = RPT.EXEMPT
Nelson-Denny reading test = RPT.GRADE
Semester reading placement test = RPT.SEM
Exempt from english placement test = EPT.EXEMPT
Semester of English placement test = EPT.SEM
Writing sample as English placement test ENG/ESL = EPT.WRIT
ESL English use = LOEP.LU
ESL Reading skills = LOEP.RS
ESL Sentence meaning = LOEP.SM
Secondary level English proficiency test = SLEP

17. Data Cleaning Fall 2007: Incorrect Grade Values XXX 136 151 147
High School Names
Springford HS
Spring-Ford HS
Spring Ford HS

18. Training

19. Training

20. Training

21. Training

22. Timeline Validation & Clean Up Training End User Live
January - March 2008
Training End User
June-July 2008
Live
June 2008

23. Demonstration of Reports and Dashboards

34. Wrap up and Q & A

35. Challenges New Technology
Applying our business rules to pre-programmed iStrategy logic
Verifying Data - matching numbers with Datatel reports
Understanding of the data - interpreting the user’s logic
The second iStrategy installation of the HR module was easier!

36. Successes Web based tool – User friendly interface Reports are quick
Trends are apparent, easily recognized
Direct access to data for the user
Sharing reports (My Views)