Dashboards For University Administration
by Sanket Nadhani, FusionChartsMonday, September 14, 2009
Universities not only impart education, but also play an active role in the enhancement of knowledge through the empowerment of research. Therefore, managing a university is an extremely challenging task as it involves the balancing of resources and the appropriate allocation of manpower. Most universities operate with an extremely large and complex organizational structure which is broadly segmented into schools or departments. Hence, identifying and monitoring key metrics is as crucial for the university administration as it is for the top management of small and large corporations.
The performance metrics of a university can be classified into the following fundamental groups:
The performance metrics of a university can be classified into the following fundamental groups:
- Student
- Faculty
- Finance
- Research
Students
The reputation of a university depends on the quality of education that is imparted to its students - there are a number of qualitative methods that can be employed for analyzing the quality of education. However, to determine it quantitatively, one can compare quantities such as total enrollment, FTE enrollment and graduate enrollment with the first-year retention rate and the number of degrees and PhDs awarded.
Not all students who enroll in a university course end up earning a degree; many drop out at the end of the first year and there is a vast difference in the number of annual enrollment and the number of degrees awarded each year. By contrasting these figures, one can estimate the level of performance exhibited by the students which in turn helps in judging the quality of education imparted. The main performance metrics pertaining to students and their performance can be enumerated in the following manner:
- Enrollment (total, FTE and graduate enrollments)
- First year retention rate
- Number of degrees and PhDs awarded
Faculty
The faculty of an institution is often the main determinant in the quality of the institution as well as pivotal in deciding which direction the university is heading. Faculties are mainly segregated into qualification–wise divisions and also into part-time and full-time fellows. As an employer, it is also mandatory for the institution to keep the satisfaction level of the faculty high enough to ensure that they do not consider leaving for another university. In the same mode, it is important to maintain a staff who are proficient researchers and keep the inquisitive spirit of the university at an all time high. These are the main metrics that should be considered while tabulating faculty-related data:
- PhD holders
- Racial diversity
- Salary
- Tenure
- Involvement in research projects
- Satisfaction Ratio
Universities have multiple sources of income and expenditure which need proper monitoring and management. So, it is essential that the university's top-level management gets timely updates on the status of cash inflow and cash outflow. Additionally, university authorities need to monitor the change in the pattern of receipts and expenditures, as this helps in ascertaining the budget for the upcoming year. Hence, the following metrics should be monitored to ensure the financial stability of the university:
- Last year's quarterly expenditures
- Last year’s receipts
- Expenditure over last five years
- Receipts over last five years
Research
Universities are centers of innovation where frontiers of knowledge are extended, therefore research is of great significance to universities. Every year, universities receive hundreds of research proposals. Filtering out unessential research proposals is crucial in order to ensure that all ongoing research programs cater to the current needs of the economy. Since universities receive research grants from the state and the corporate world, university authorities are keen on monitoring the outcome of research. Hence, the success rate of research programs is considered a crucial performance indicator. The following are major performance metrics associated with research:
- Total number of research proposals submitted
- Acceptance rate of research proposals
- Success rate of research
The metrics discussed here are intended only for senior administrators and not for operational executives. The metrics described above are a mandatory part of any educational dashboard but can be modified by universities according to their particular needs. In this respect, each of the subheadings can be expanded to include more data and therefore ultimately lead to the creation of a visually arresting, comprehensive data bank which can make the decision-making process of an institution head much easier.
About the Author
Sanket Nadhani is a part of the FusionCharts team where he is called the "External Interface API." He helps people visualize their data better and writes for the FusionCharts Blog.
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