The continuing importance of data analytics is not lost on higher education leaders, who face a multitude of challenges, including increasing operating costs, dwindling state support, limits to tuition increases, and increased competition from the for-profit sector. To navigate these challenges, savvy leaders must leverage data to make sound decisions. In Big Data on Campus, leading data analytics experts and higher ed leaders show the role that analytics can play in the better administration of colleges and universities.

Aimed at senior administrative leaders, practitioners of institutional research, technology professionals, and graduate students in higher education, the book opens with a conceptual discussion of the roles that data analytics can play in higher education administration. Subsequent chapters address recent developments in technology, the rapid accumulation of data assets, organizational maturity in building analytical capabilities, and methodological advancements in developing predictive and prescriptive analytics. Each chapter includes a literature review of the research and application of analytics developments in their respective functional areas, a discussion of industry trends, examples of the application of data analytics in their decision process, and other related issues that readers may wish to consider in their own organizational environment to find opportunities for building robust data analytics capabilities.

Using a series of focused discussions and case studies, Big Data on Campus helps readers understand how analytics can support major organizational functions in higher education, including admission decisions, retention and enrollment management, student life and engagement, academic and career advising, student learning and assessment, and academic program planning. The final section of the book addresses major issues and human factors involved in using analytics to support decision making; the ethical, cultural, and managerial implications of its use; the role of university leaders in promoting analytics in decision making; and the need for a strong campus community to embrace the analytics revolution.

Contributors: Rana Glasgal, J. Michael Gower, Tom Gutman, Brian P. Hinote, Braden J. Hosch, Aditya Johri, Christine M. Keller, Carrie Klein, Jaime Lester, Carrie Hancock Marcinkevage, Gail B. Marsh, Susan M. Menditto, Jillian N. Morn, Valentina Nestor, Cathy O'Bryan, Huzefa Rangwala, Timothy Renick, Charles Tegen, Rachit Thariani, Chris Tompkins, Lindsay K. Wayt, Karen L. Webber, Henry Y. Zheng, Ying Zhou

Foreword, by Christine KellerAcknowledgementsPart I: Technology, Digitization, Big Data, and Analytics Maturity as the Enabling Conditions for Data-informed Decision-Making1. Data Analytics and the Imperatives for Data-Informed Decision Making in Higher Education, by Karen L. Webber and Henry Y. Zheng2. Big Data and the Transformation of Decision Making in Higher Education, by Braden Hosch3. Predictive Analytics and its Uses in Higher Education, by Henry Y. Zheng and Ying ZhouPart II: The Ethical, Cultural, and Managerial Imperatives of Data-informed Decision Making in Higher Education4. Limitations in Data Analytics: Potential Misuse and Misunderstanding in Data Reports and Visualizations, by Karen L. Webber and Jillian Morn5. Guiding Your Organization's Data Strategy: The Roles of University Senior Leaders and Trustees in Strategic Analytics, by Gail Marsh and Rachit Thariani6. Data Governance, Data Stewardship and the Building of an AnalyticsOrganizational Culture, by Rana Glasgal and Val NestorPart III: The Application of Analytics in Higher Education Decision-Making: Case Studies7. Data Analytics & Decision-Making in Admissions & Enrollment Management, by Tom Gutman and Brian Hinote8. Predictive Analytics, Academic Advising, Early Alerts and Student Success, by Timothy Renick9. Constituent Relationship Management and Student Engagement Lifecycle, by Cathy O'Byan, Chris Tompkins, and Carrie H. Marcinkevage10. Learning Analytics for Learning Assessment: Complexities in Efficacy, Implementation, and Broad Use, by Carrie Klein, Jamie Lester, Huzefa Rangwala, and Aditya Johri11. Using Data Analytics to Support Institutional Financial and Operational Efficiency, by Lindsay Wayt, Sue Menditto, Michael J. Gower, and Charles TegenPart IV: Concluding Comments12. Data-Informed Decision Making and the Pursuit of Analytics Maturity in Higher Education, by Karen L. Webber and Henry Y. Zheng