With student attrition rates on the rise across the United States, how could the University of Florida empower even more of its students to keep themselves on track for successful graduation?

The university’s analytics team knew that data on student behavior could hold the key to retention, and used IBM Cognos Analytics to turn data into actionable insight for faculty and administrators.

Student attrition rates are high in universities across the US: one recent study shows that only 54.8 percent of students complete their degree within six years. The University of Florida (UF) is on a mission to combat this trend, helping more students complete their courses of study and strengthening the university’s reputation for academic excellence.

“Our goal at the University of Florida is to ensure that students reach their full potential so they can build a bright future for themselves and their families,” explained Dave Gruber, UF’s associate chief information officer. “To do this, we not only focus on keeping students enrolled in their courses, but on helping them succeed throughout their time at the University of Florida.”

Like most institutions, UF has access to large amounts of student data, including demographic data, previous high school grades and current course grades. With the rise of online learning systems, it also has access to new sources of data, including details on each students’ study habits. For example, it is now possible to monitor how long students spend watching video lectures, reading course literature, and working on assignments.

The university’s analytics team realized that combining all these sources of information might reveal patterns and insights that would hold the key to keeping students in college and helping them achieve their full potential.

“We knew that we could make much better use of the data we have,” Gruber continued. “For instance, if we can identify which students are falling behind, we can make earlier, more targeted interventions to get them back on track. The sooner we can tell that a student needs support, the better the chances that we can keep them engaged and help them progress.”

To help all university departments make data-driven decisions to improve student outcomes, the University of Florida decided it needed to make information more easily available to a wider audience of users.

“Our existing analytics platform focused on supporting users in finance and HR—who are naturally ‘data people,’” said Gruber. “We wanted to make it more approachable for administrators and faculty by providing a more modern, intuitive interface.”

In some cases, users had already started using modern data visualization tools to gain insight into their data at the departmental level—but the university knew that a more centralized approach would be a better long-term strategy.

“The complexity of managing information security and data privacy is growing year-on-year,” explained Gruber. “Analyzing and visualizing information is only half the problem; we also need a robust data governance framework to protect the university against regulatory and reputational risks. That means an enterprise-class platform is the only way to go.”

By gaining insight into the factors that help students achieve better grades, the University of Florida will be better prepared to direct its resources strategically and empower students to succeed.

Over the next calendar year, the university will be rolling out its upgraded analytics capabilities on a department-by-department basis.

“Insights from IBM Cognos Analytics should enable us to implement more effective policies across the university,” said Gruber. “By helping us identify which students are at risk, it should help us intervene earlier and more effectively.”

With more detailed insights into students’ study habits and personal circumstances, it should even be possible to tailor these interventions on a student-by-student basis and offer personalized support.

“By focusing on helping individual students progress, the whole university will ultimately benefit,” Gruber commented. “We’re currently ranked among the top 10 public schools in the country, and if we can lift our student retention and graduation rates, we’ll be in a strong position to maintain or improve that ranking.”

In addition to student achievement, the University of Florida also anticipates that the IBM solution will also help the enrollment, admissions, human resources and finance departments enhance their operations.

Gruber concluded, “With IBM Cognos Analytics empowering us to make smarter decisions on how to run each aspect of university life, we will be better placed to direct our resources to give every student the best chance to achieve their full potential.”

Founded in Gainesville in 1853, the University of Florida (link resides outside of ibm.com) is among the nation's most comprehensive and academically diverse universities, and has been ranked in the country’s top ten public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The university employs over 5,000 people and offers a wide range of academic and athletic programs to more than 55,000 students.