Why Predictive Modeling in Higher Ed is a Must-Have
For higher education institutions, the concepts of predictive modeling informed by machine learning do not differ much from human learning. Data is fed to computer algorithms and these algorithms look for data patterns that can be attributed to a specific outcome. This is [...]
For CFO’s: The Power of Artificial Intelligence Drives Better Decisions and Higher ROI
I have been a Chief Financial Officer (with some additional titles) for the better part of 20 years – different industries, different size companies, some domestic and others international – and all have been at high-growth companies. I am more of an operations-focused CFO. [...]
The Data Trust Journey (COVID-19 Edition)
We often say to our partners that the use of predictive and prescriptive analytics is a journey. The foundation of this journey is establishing trust in what advanced analytical approaches are telling you. Trust takes time, even during a pandemic. This is a fact that is [...]
Anomalies: Drivers of Progress
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not “Eureka” but “That’s funny...” - Isaac Asimov Newton’s law of universal gravitation made successful predictions for hundreds of years. Then one odd anomaly in Mercury’s orbit changed [...]
The Long and Short of It, Planning During COVID-19
COVID-19 has thrown colleges and universities into short-term chaos. I’ve learned about the challenges and the chaos from both the institution’s and the student’s perspectives. Every day at work, I talk to enrollment and student success professionals across campuses, big and [...]
The Shift from On-campus to Virtual Events: Out of Necessity Comes Opportunity
Plato is often credited with the quote, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” While the origination of this famous saying may be in question; the meaning is not. The coronavirus pandemic has certainly created a new framework that we have not only had to adapt to, but rapidly [...]
Othot Talks Higher Ed with Casey Green [video]
At our first Othot Talks Higher Ed, Fred Weiss, President and CEO of Othot, spoke to Casey Green, Founding Director of The Campus Computing Project. When Green and Weiss originally scheduled the interview, COVID-19 was just starting to impact campuses. Now, campuses are closed, [...]
Data and Analytics in a World of Virtual Campus Visits
In predictive modeling, if the input component (i.e. data) is poor, the output (i.e. predictions, insights) usually suffers. A good practice to ensure a higher quality input component is to collect the data in as detailed of a fashion as possible. This gives those who are [...]
Addressing Affordability Amid COVID-19 with Data and Analytics
Like many organizations and industries, your institution and the entire higher education community are facing significant challenges from the COVID-19 global pandemic. Whether you are trying to enroll your class or you are working to ensure your current student body retains and [...]
An Analytics Perspective on AACRAO’s Guidance for Changes in Transfer Student Admissions Policies Impacted by COVID-19
On April 1st, the American Association of College Registrars and Officers (AACRAO) released its Guidance on Admissions from Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 Impacted Terms. This resource makes several suggestions for postsecondary institutions to consider, considering the unusual [...]
Partner Questions: COVID-19 and the Othot Platform
These are questions that we’ve gathered from our Partners about data collection, models, and predictions in the COVID-19 environment. If you would like to discuss any questions in this document, please contact a member of the Partner Success Team at othotteam@othot.com. 1. How [...]
The Time to Use Data
Welcome to the first in a series of blog posts that we hope will give you advice and counsel as to how higher ed institutions manage their way through - and out of - the coronavirus pandemic. I’m a believer that what we’re experiencing today is NOT the new normal, and that what [...]
The EM Perfect Storm… just got worse and became truly the Storm of the Century!
In the 2000 movie, “The Perfect Storm,” based on the 1997 book of the same name and the true story of the Andrea Gail (1992), the crew of a fishing boat out of Gloucester, Massachusetts find themselves in the “storm of the century," a confluence of two powerful weather fronts [...]