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Community College of Rhode Island To Implement Predictive Analytics To Identify At-Risk Students

• By Leila Meyer
• 10/30/12

Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) is centralizing its critical student services and implementing predictive analytics software with the goal of improving student performance and achievement.

CCRI's Connect to College (C2C) project is intended to help students manage their academic life using a solution from ConnectEDU. The C2C Web portal will enable students to access content and learning modules to help them develop better time management skills, plan their future career, and more. The tool will send students reminders about upcoming deadlines and provide them with access to a network of mentors.

In addition to the centralized student services system, the community college is also implementing IBM's SPSS predictive modeling and analytics software, which will work with the ConnectEDU system to capture and convey student data, gain real-time perspective into student performance, identify at-risk students, and intervene to help get them back on track, according to IBM..

"This platform is a scalable solution for our C2C team, using technology to identify at-risk students before they're truly at risk," said Ray DiPasquale, president of CCRI, in a prepared statement.

IBM's Smarter Education Solution combines IBM's predictive analytics software with student interface software, such as the solution from ConnectEDU.

Key features of IBM's Smarter Education Solution include:

• Integration of data from multiple sources to provide students and administrators with insight into student performance and achievement;
• Establishment and coordination of early-warning systems for at-risk students;
• Support for collaborative learning communities to help teachers, students, parents, and specialists work together to identify and implement instructional intervention plans; and
• Data aggregation and analytics to identify intervention and program efficacy.

Community College of Rhode Island operates six campuses throughout Rhode Island, offers nearly 90 degree and certificate programs, and serves approximately 18,000 students.

Further information about IBM's Smarter Education Solution is available on IBM's site.

In related news, IBM is also delivering its Smarter Education reference architecture, which was originally announced in April. The architecture is "built on open, industry standards to enable a multi-provider, interoperable environment," according to the company, and it is this architecture that enabled the integration of the ConnectEDU solution with IBM's predictive analytics software.