This teaching tip describes using Microsoft Power BI Desktop in a class to analyze unstructured data from an exit survey of prior students from a Master of Science in Management Information Systems program. Results from a short survey administered to these students showed that the students, using the no-code Power BI, were able to accomplish their…

During the past decade, digital transformation enabled by big data and analytics emerged as a key theme in the business world. It promises to continue be a theme of major importance in the 2020s. Digital transformation comes at the cost of grappling with and analyzing the ever-growing volume of data. Data visualization techniques are seen as a…

As the most widely used agile software development method, Scrum has become a mainstay in many organizations that develop software. Despite Scrum's popularity, several studies examine Scrum implementations that include some parts of the methodology and exclude others. This paper describes how Scrum has been incorporated into the classroom…

The objective of this study was to evaluate students' self-regulated learning (SRL) skills used in a Web-intensive learning environment. The research question guiding the study was: How did the use of student SRL skills and student engagement in online activities compare between higher- and lower-performing students participating in a…

In response to the accountability movement, schools must develop appropriate data sources and use them for decision making. This paper describes a data-collection and data-analysis procedure that can be used at the school building level. The process uses software for survey administration and data analysis for conducting practical automated…

An analytic system for colleges that involves student flow calculation, an historical curriculum matrix, and departmental workload forecasts is examined. The conceptual base, uses of the data, technical issues, and implementation are covered. The student flow calculation uses enrollment trends to develop the probability of a student with a given…

Information is presented about the administrative computing activities of colleges and universities belonging to CAUSE (the professional association for computing and information technology in higher education). Profiles and trends are provided based on 1985 Member Institution Profile Surveys conducted in 1980, 1983, and 1985. A total of 350…

The way that the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) should conduct its quality assurance function of monitoring a processing contractor is described. For the following quality assurance procedures, information is provided on the goal of the procedure, activities to be measured, measures, and the role of…

This investigation of the use of database management systems (DBMS) in a research environment used the Rand Corporation as a case study. After a general introduction in section 1, eight sections present the major components of the study. Section 2 contains an overview of DBMS terminology and concepts, followed in section 3 by a general dsecription…

A framework for monitoring quality control (QC) of processor contracts administered by the Department of Education's Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) is presented and applied to the Pell Grant program. Guidelines for establishing QC measures and standards are included, and the uses of a sampling procedure in the QC system are…

Software and computer management systems that enable educators to manage the monitoring of student progress in acquiring skills for the High School Proficiency Test (HSPT) and other standardized tests used in New Jersey schools are described in this study. Focus is on the data collection components for student skill proficiency using the computer…