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…

Choices made on data visualizations guide how users make meaning of the information presented. This research investigates design decisions made on 115 state-level dashboards reporting school safety data. Using pre-determined codes drawn from a framework of visualization rhetoric, dashboard characteristics were described and analyzed. Analysis…

Data is a powerful tool for the healthcare industry to use for managing, analyzing, and reporting on critical events in the field. The analysis of broad, salient data files aids healthcare businesses in uncovering hidden patterns, market trends, and customer preferences; these details may then be used to improve the quality and delivery of care to…

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…

The expansion of technical concepts into everyday business practices suggests a need for effectively teaching difficult subjects to non-technical users. This paper describes hands-on analogy, an innovative method for teaching technically difficult concepts using interactive, experiential learning activities and a gamified exercise. We demonstrate…

The "Trainer's Guide for the Systematic Monitoring of SDG 4-Education 2030 in Asia-Pacific" has been created to further facilitate making effective use of the "Regional Capacity Development Resource Book on Monitoring SDG4-Education 2030 in Asia-Pacific" ("Resource Book") and to support Member States in the effective…

Districts expend a considerable amount of time, effort, and resources providing student performance data to teachers to inform instruction, and examining those data for organizational decision-making. Yet rarely, if ever, are these outcome data connected to what goes on in classrooms. In this experimental study, the author reports on the…

This publication describes an evaluation design developed to assess school-to-work (STW) efforts throughout the Saginaw Valley STW Partnership area in Michigan. An introduction is followed by an overview of the aim of evaluation. Section 3 describes how the variables pertinent to the evaluation of the STW program initiative were identified,…

The Achieving the Dream (ATD) initiative works with more than 100 community colleges across the United States with the specific goal of increasing student success. Together, Achieving the Dream colleges graduate or transfer close to 250,000 students a year. With just a 5 percent increase in graduation rates, individuals can positively impact the…

A rationale for school-based evaluation, criteria for a sensible evaluation and assessment system, and a systematic process for implementing an evaluation and assessment system are presented. School-based evaluation can be used as a management tool and a means of improving aspects of teaching. Sensible evaluation must be aligned with school goals,…

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…

The concepts of need and needs assessment are examined in the context of information needs for college administrators. A description is included of the conceptual framework underlying the Needs Assessment Information System (NAIS), which was developed by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. Attention is directed to: (1)…

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…

This monograph describes three types of evaluation that are potentially useful to school-based clinics: needs assessments, process evaluations, and impact evaluations. Two important methodological principles are involved: (1) collecting multiple kinds of data with multiple methods; and (2) collecting comparison data. Student needs can be…

Complementing a 1973 survey of management information systems in state departments of education, the conclusions developed in this study present an overview of MIS development and implementation in six states: Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Oregon, Texas, and Utah. In-depth case studies examine the concerns of MIS personnel and provide insights…