Abstract:

Ulster University has developed interactive dashboards for Widening Access and Participation (WAP) objectives, to promote inclusivity and to guide data-informed decision-making. These dashboards have been created using tableau software and new skills gained on a JISC/HESA analytic labs project. Agile approaches are also deployed to design bespoke dashboards to support business needs on demand. A collaborative and partnership approach has been adopted, as different stakeholders have different data needs.

This interactive oral presentation is divided into three parts and will promote sharing and discussion opportunities throughout.

Part one will introduce Higher Education WAP policy, practice and approaches to data-informed decision-making that can guide educational interventions leading to student success, measurable by improved student satisfaction, retention, attainment and/or learning gain.

Part two will share practice and showcase examples of the interactive WAP dashboards which have been created at Ulster using both external data available in the public domain and internal student information systems data.

Part three will close by providing opportunities to discuss, compare and share experiences of key challenges, opportunities and lessons learned. It will share plans for the next stages of development at Ulster and will consider ways of overcoming privacy/ethical barriers which have reduced the growth of data analytics somewhat across the sector, despite increasing evidence that making use of such data, can help improve student attainment, retention and wellbeing.

Ulster University’s main goal when designing interactive dashboards is to provide data to help staff make data-informed WAP decisions that guide educational interventions and supports students, maximising their success, ultimately resulting in learning gain. A range of WAP data has now been connected and displayed visually with interactive filters, to help staff better support students throughout their learner journey from pre-entry, through their studies at Ulster and into employment.

Examples of dashboards created to date using external data include primary and post-primary free school meal entitlement, special educational needs profiles, GCSE and A-Level attainment and WAP Higher Education Institution comparisons.

Examples of dashboards created using internal data includes profile views that are enabling Ulster to better explore WAP data at University, Faculty, School and Programme levels for a range of WAP characteristics including: socio-economic background, declared disability, care experienced learners, gender, age, mode, level, religion, ethnicity etc.

By the close of the session, delegates will be able to:
- Appraise HE WAP approaches to data-informed decision-making that can guide educational interventions leading to student success, measurable by improved student satisfaction, retention, attainment and/or learning gain.
- Explain and evaluate the key features of WAP data processes, interactive dashboard developments and agile methods at Ulster University, and compare practices at Ulster with practices elsewhere.
- Discuss and consider ways the sector can benefit from sharing practice regarding evidence-based ways of making data-informed decisions for WAP objectives and overcome privacy/ethical barriers.

This session should be of interest to anyone interested in WAP and using data and interactive dashboards for WAP decision-making.

Keywords:

Data informed decision-making, Widening Access and Participation, Dashboards, Data visualisation.