Colleges and universities generate vast amounts of data every day, spanning from the research findings of their scholars to the log-in times of their students to learning management systems. But institutions of higher learning have fallen behind businesses and government when it comes to putting this data to use, according to a new study in Science.
According to “Data blind: Universities lag in capturing and exploiting data,” although colleges may have lots of raw information, many are “data poor” in terms of using it to their advantage or “data blind,” reluctant to discuss data governance. These deficiencies represent what the authors called “an invisible tax on an organization’s efficiency.”
Dr. Christine L. Borgman, distinguished research professor in information studies at the University of California, Los Angeles,
“We were hoping we would find some really good ideas for how they were tackling larger infrastructure questions around data. And we didn’t really find as much as we expected,” said Borgman. “We did find small-scale innovations, many from student projects or prizes across campus. But nobody really stood up and said, ‘Yes, we have a plan. Here’s five years. Here’s the governance model that works.’”
The study described many uses for the data that universities collect. Provosts could make better decisions if they had better data on faculty research, career interests of prospective students, and research funding trends. Faculty could be freed from the burdens of populating personnel files and reports. And the pandemic could have been different.
“People were drowning,” said Borgman. “They didn’t have good inventories of anything from technology to people to resources.”
There are also impacts for DEI efforts—demographic data about students and faculty could be better used to see whether attempts to help them succeed are working. But the study found that opportunities were often being lost.
