Chapter 7 - Lost among the Silos: Students and Information Systems

Summary

Most colleges and universities have enterprise resource planning (ERP) data systems that provide decision-makers accurate and timely information on business, finance, personnel, payroll, enrollment, and budget functions. But there is no digital strategy for a holistic support system for students. Information on student interactions usually is separated within dozens of frequently incompatible data systems designed for individual service areas, cutting off a critical source of timely insight on a student’s aggregate experience. Federal law protecting student privacy is an additional, legitimate, limit on the flow of information about students to those who might provide them with needed support. To bring data management and information flow on student support up to the expectations of the current generation of technology-sophisticated students, the university will need a radical rethinking of what is necessary for a student data strategy.