A group of data analysis experts at Stellenbosch University (SU) recently developed a comprehensive database to reduce the labour needed to analyse important student data among tertiary institutions in South Africa. This is according to René Robbertze, senior business intelligence analyst at SU, in an interview with MatieMedia.
An advantage of the dataset is that it can use demographic information to analyse the correlations between qualification, gender and race, and make comparisons between South Africa’s 26 tertiary institutions. This is according to René Robbertze, senior business intelligence analyst at Stellenbosch University. PHOTO: Talia Kincaid
The database was developed by experts from SU’s division for information governance (IG), said Robbertze.
“The university previously had to request specific data from [the] Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET),” said Robbertze. This data, received from the DHET, arrived in inefficient excel formats, “[which] required a lot of labour to transform the data and analyse it every time”, she explained.
Comprehensive access to student and staff data was made available to SU on 10 February, but the division for IG is hoping that with future developments, it will be made available to other institutions, said Robbertze.
“This is the [only] combination of Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS) student and staff data of all 26 higher education institutions […] in this format,” said Robbertze.
New possibilities through data
The new system uses accumulated data to analyse trends relating to enrolment, qualifications, and institutional successes “across years, race, gender, qualification type, and subject area”, said Prof Ian Cloete, specialist project director of IG at SU.
The system has improved the way that institutional information can be received by allowing users to access the data themselves “by slic[ing] and dic[ing] options made available by the application”, continued Prof Cloete via email correspondence with MatieMedia.
New software developed by data analysis experts at Stellenbosch University allows tertiary institutions to gain insights from datasets on topics such as courses offered per institution, gaps and possible opportunities in specific fields of study, said René Robbertze, senior business intelligence analyst at SU. PHOTO: Talia Kincaid
Machine learning
The application can identify gaps within programme development, such as information by creating comparable data amongst “peer institutions”, said Dr Barbara Pool, senior director of strategic initiatives for IG.
The system is able to create relationships between datasets through easily readable graphical representations of student and staff demographics from all 26 tertiary institutions in South Africa, Robbertze explained.
“Access to this kind of data […] opens up new possibilities, not only for our university, but also within the higher education sector,” continued Dr Pool.
Students and staff members have access to the application and are encouraged to use its insights to “identify gaps and opportunities within specific fields of study”, said Cloete.
The division for information governance (IG) at Stellenbosch University oversees information governance practices, and supports institutional planning, and policy developments. This is according to IG’s webpage. PHOTO: Talia Kincaid