Advance

good practices and sound policies that accelerate the effective adoption and use of technologies in teaching and learning.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded WCET a grant to validate the Predictive Analytics Reporting (PAR) Framework. This project will aggregate data representing more than 400,000 student records from across six WCET member institutions to conduct large-scale analyses of federated data sets within postsecondary institutions to better inform loss prevention and identify drivers related to student progression and completion. A criticial area of focus for this project will be identifying factors impacting loss, progression and completion for the age 26 and under demographic in the United States.

The principal investigator is Phil Ice, Ed.D., American Public University System (APUS). The project will incorporate many of the best practices and award-winning predictive analytical methods for which Dr. Ice has been recognized by the Sloan Consortium and for which project partner Dr. Vernon Smith, Rio Salado College, has won the WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) award.

This project will investigate research questions that address:

• What factors influence student loss/retention and momentum/completion?
• How do the factors affecting loss differ from indicators of completion?
• The existence of unique demographic, pedagogical or institutional factors affecting loss/retention and momentum/completion.

WCET member institutions participating in this research: 

 


American Public University System
Charles Town, WV
Project Liaison: Dr. Wally Boston
 






 

Colorado Community College System
Denver, CO
Project Liaison: Dr. Rhonda Epper



 

 

University of Hawaii System
Honolulu, HI
Project Liaison: Hae Okimoto

 University of Illinois, Springfield
Springfield, IL
Project Liaison: Dr. Karen Swan 

 

Rio Salado College
Tempe, AZ
Project Liaison: Dr. Vernon Smith

University of Phoenix (Apollo Group)
Phoenix, AZ
Project Liaison: Dr. Angie McAllister

Managed by a WCET team:

WCET Executive Director:
Ellen Wagner

Project Director
Beth Davis

WCET Project Coordinator
Sherri Artz Gilbert

Media Releases and Related Articles

• See the May 16, 2011 Media Release!
• See the October 17, 2011 Media Release!
• Monitoring the PACE of Student Learning: Analytics at Rio Salado College Campus Technology (December 14, 2011).
• 'Moneyball" Meets Education, Part 2: Colleges Pool Data to Prevent Dropouts The Chronicle (December 14, 2011).
• The Predictive Analytics Reporting Framework Moves Forward Campus Technology (January 18, 2012).
• Big Data's Arrival Inside Higher Ed (February 1, 2012).