Higher Ed Analytics Market Is Growing in Complexity

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 03/30/17

The availability of analytics products for higher education is on the rise, and the applications tend to fall into two broad camps: learning analytics, designed to be used by instructional staff to examine data tied to student engagement and academic outcomes; and operational analytics, for use by administrators to explore operational and financial areas, such as admission, enrollment and retention.

That's how a new report from Eduventures classifies the more than two dozen offerings it has identified in the current analytics marketplace. According to "Deep Dive: Analytics Market Overview," solutions that enable colleges and universities to understand their current situations and how best to move forward range from tools that address just a single segment of the "student lifecycle," such as learning or enrollment, to those that address broader enterprise needs, like constituent relationship management systems (CRM) or enterprise resource planning (ERP).

Sorting out all the options involves figuring out whether the school is better off opting for an "enterprise" solution that pulls data from multiple campus sources, or a "domain-specific" solution that pulls from a limited number data sources. On top of that is choosing between "bundled" offerings that do data storage and analysis or "standalone" ones that tap into a specific set of data.

The research firm produced the overview to help its institutional subscribers understand what's involved in selecting an analytics product. The report also evaluates the strengths and weaknesses specifically of domain-specific, standalone offerings from Acrobatiq, Blackboard, Civitas Learning, HelioCampus, Intellify and Jenzabar.

For each, the report examines each program's maintainability, privacy and security, suitability, data analysis, data visualization and data alerting features.

Choosing the right analytics product "is not without challenges," said James Wiley, principal technology analyst, in a prepared statement. "By evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of leading analytics offerings, this report will help institutions better understand the current market and supply a framework to determine best fit within your institution."

The report is available to Eduventures subscribers.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • college student sitting at a laptop writing a college essay

    How Can Schools Manage AI in Admissions?

    Many questions remain around the role of artificial intelligence in admissions as schools navigate the balance between innovation and integrity.  

  • a hobbyist in casual clothes holds a hammer and a toolbox, building a DIY structure that symbolizes an AI model

    Ditch the DIY Approach to AI on Campus

    Institutions that do not adopt AI will quickly fall behind. The question is, how can colleges and universities do this systematically, securely, cost-effectively, and efficiently?

  • person signing a bill at a desk with a faint glow around the document. A tablet and laptop are subtly visible in the background, with soft colors and minimal digital elements

    California Governor Signs AI Content Safeguards into Law

    California Governor Gavin Newsom has officially signed off on a series of landmark artificial intelligence bills, signaling the state’s latest efforts to regulate the burgeoning technology, particularly in response to the misuse of sexually explicit deepfakes. The legislation is aimed at mitigating the risks posed by AI-generated content, as concerns grow over the technology's potential to manipulate images, videos, and voices in ways that could cause significant harm.

  • laptop screen showing Coursera course

    Coursera Introduces New Gen AI Skills Training and Credentials

    Learning platform Coursera is expanding its Generative AI Academy training portfolio with an offering for teams, as well as adding new generative AI courses, specializations, and certificates.