Two professionals from the University of Maryland compare and share best practices for measuring student success with the University of Johannesburg. This presentation is a summary of their visit.

1. UMD in Johannesburg:
Global Partnerships- Staff Travel
Grant to South Africa

3. Project Timeline
February 2014 Grant opportunity announced by OIA
Initial plans proposed to IRPA management

4. Project Timeline
March 2015 Contact to University of Johannesburg
Support letter received and application submitted

5. Project Timeline
April 2015 Grant awarded by OIA

6. Project Timeline
April 2014– Planning, planning, and more planning
March 2015

7. Project Timeline
March 16– Trip to South Africa
March 26, 2015

8. Project Timeline
March 2015– Drafting final report and presentation planning
Current

9. Outcomes
Other
Major
Takeaways
Photos

10. Proposed Outcome 1:
Enhanced strategies for engaging and steering campus‐wide
student success initiatives as IR professionals

11. Enhanced strategies for engaging and steering campus‐wide
student success initiatives as IR professionals
Met with Institutional
Research and
Planning Unit
(decision support
within the institution)
Longevity on campus
increase perceptions
of reliability of data

12. Enhanced strategies for engaging and steering campus‐wide
student success initiatives as IR professionals
Met with Head of Unit
for Academic Planning
(high level institutional
policy perspective)
Collaboration across
campus depends on
engaging leaders and
utilizing multiple
perspectives on an
issue

13. Enhanced strategies for engaging and steering campus‐wide
student success initiatives as IR professionals
Met with Council
for Higher
Education (top
level perspective in
HE more broadly)
Perception of a
supportive role
increases campus
use of data

14. Proposed Outcome 2:
Mutually developed recommendations for influencing national
data collection of student success metrics as IR professionals

15. Mutually developed recommendations for influencing national
data collection of student success metrics as IR professionals
Met with staff from
the Office of the
Registrar (decision
support within the
institution)
Buy-in on campus
to improve data
quality and
timeliness of data
entry

16. Mutually developed recommendations for influencing national
data collection of student success metrics as IR professionals
Met with Head of
Unit for Academic
Planning (top level
perspective in HE
more broadly)
Using HEMIS data
and population to
plan new
institutions to
improve student
access and success

17. Proposed Outcome 3:
Knowledge sharing of best practices for institutional data collection
using survey data and data
warehousing tools

18. Mutually developed recommendations for influencing national
data collection of student success metrics as IR professionals
Met with
Institutional
Research and
Planning Unit
(within the
institution)
“Training” the
campus to read
survey data

19. Mutually developed recommendations for influencing national
data collection of student success metrics as IR professionals
Met with
SAAIR
(outside the
institution)
Collaboration
with fellow IR
professionals

20. Mutually developed recommendations for influencing national
data collection of student success metrics as IR professionals
Planned
meeting with
University of
Cape Town
Avoid student
protests, unless
you support
their
perspective.

21. Other Major Takeaways: Cultural
Region
Race
Language
Gender
SES
Age
Politics

22. Other Major Takeaways: Educational
Institutional
mission
Students
vs. staff
“Open”
enrollment
Student
life
Access
Diploma
types
Preparation
levels

23. University of Johannesburg

28. Johannesburg

35. Cape Town

49. Visits, Visitors, and UCT

54. Thank you!
University of Maryland
Office of International Affairs
Office of Institutional Research, Planning, &
Assessment