Page 34 - AASBO EDGE BTS 2023

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

BY BEN SMITH
Harnessing the Power of Real-Time Academic

Data Consolidation and Visualization

Academic institutions have come to recognize entire educational ecosystem. This streamlined
the profound impact of data on shaping their view facilitates improved decision-making, strategic
teaching methods, curriculum structure, and planning, and performance evaluation.
student outcomes. With the digital transformation
of learning platforms and processes, the massive Once data is consolidated, the next challenge is to
amount of available data has become overwhelming present it in an understandable and actionable way,
for many administrators. Managing and which is where data visualization comes in. Bostrom
interpreting this vast and complex data requires et al. (2008) found that visual data representations
effective strategies to extract meaningful insights. can increase viewers' comprehension and retention
This is where academic data consolidation and and reduces the time it takes to make decisions. By
visualization software are pivotal in revolutionizing translating raw, abstract data into graphs, charts,
education management. According to Provost and heatmaps, or dashboards, software designed for
Fawcett (2013), organizations that embrace data- academic data visualization makes it easier for
driven decision-making are 23 times more likely administrators to perceive patterns, correlations, and
to attract customers, six times more likely to trends. These visual cues can then inform decisions
retain them, and 19 times more likely to achieve ranging from curriculum design, student support
profitability. This assertion holds true not only for interventions, to resource allocation.
businesses but also for educational institutions.
The availability of real-time data further enhances
“Managing and interpreting this vast the advantages mentioned above. In contrast to static

and complex data requires effective and outdated reports, real-time data offers a dynamic
strategies to extract meaningful and up-to-date view of the academic environment.
In turn, this empowers school administrators to
insights.” promptly identify any issues, take immediate

corrective actions, and consistently monitor the
The power of consolidated data visualization effects of those actions. In a study by Ray and Saeed
software comes from its capacity to combine (2018), it was observed that schools that utilized real-
academic data from diverse sources, including time data experienced improved student outcomes,
student performance records, classroom engagement attendance, and overall school performance.
metrics, learning management system data, and
institutional financial data. Rather than burdening Consolidated data visualization tools play a vital
administrators with the daunting task of navigating role in tracking the real-time progress of individual
through scattered databases filled with numerous students and support personalized learning, which is
data points, consolidation software offers a unified, increasingly embraced by school districts nationally.
coherent, and all-encompassing perspective of the This approach offers several advantages, such as
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34 THE EDGE BACK TO SCHOOL 2023