Insights 2.0

Role: Director of Project Planning and Assessments, Transfer Articulation

How Do You Use Insights 2.0 To Serve UNT?

I use insights to gain valuable trend data for admissions & recruitment, student enrollment patterns at UNT and trends and information among peer institutions through the THECB data.

What Would You Share With A Non-Insights User to Encourage Them To Choose Their Own Adventure?

I would tell a non-user to take a training and jump right in. The site is easy to navigate and data tell stories that allow you to see trends and make decisions and changes based on what you see. Often times we “assume” we know what is happening, but the data will tell us differently. Interesting things can appear.

If You Could Choose Your Own Superpower, What Would it Be?

My own superpower? ...Probably telepathy for a whole host of reasons!

Role: Data Analyst for Center for Learning, Experimentation, Application, and Research

How Do You Use Insights 2.0 To Serve UNT?

As part of the Center for Learning Experimentation, Application and Research’s Learning Research team, I use Insights to collect accurate student information to supplement our research projects. Because Insights exists, we’re able to avoid burdening our students with additional survey items; instead, with the students’ permission, we can collect this information on their behalf from the Insights Data Portal. Accurate student demographic data enables us to determine how educational interventions serve different populations of students at UNT.

What Would You Share With A Non-Insights User to Encourage Them To Choose Their Own Adventure?

When I first started using Insights, I wanted to test whether I could access data about myself! As a graduate of UNT—yes, there is information about me in Insights. The volume of information can be a bit overwhelming at first, so I’d encourage new users to start small with a population they know well. These initial tests will enable you to quickly verify whether the data you’re extracting (or the dashboards you’re viewing!) are accurate.

If You Could Choose Your Own Superpower, What Would it Be?

I always struggle with this question—I don’t necessarily want to be able to do things incredibly quickly or easily, so things like super-strength, teleportation or instantly learning aren’t really my thing, but I would like a long time to do all the things I’d like to do. Plus, being healthy and energized while doing them. So, probably not immortality, but maybe something like Wolverine-style super-healing and longevity (less the adamantium claws, though).

Role: Senior Associate Vice President

How Do You Use Insights 2.0 To Serve UNT?

I use Insights 2.0 data multiple times a day to help initiate, guide, and assess strategic initiatives related to enrollment, financial aid, and admissions. I also use the data products to assess enrollment, retention, and course availability.

What Would You Share With A Non-Insights User to Encourage Them To Choose Their Own Adventure?

I would encourage anyone to become an Insights trained user. The data available there not only helps us answer questions but also helps us better understand the questions we need to be asking to be more effective as an institution. Like any tool, the more familiar you get with the it, the better you become in answering your own questions and solving problems.

If You Could Choose Your Own Superpower, What Would it Be?

I would love to have the ability to fly. The power gives you freedom and perspective on the challenges you are facing each day.

Role: Director of Student Affairs Assessment

How Do You Use Insights 2.0 To Serve UNT?

I use Insights to identify trends and patterns related to student success. This helps the Division of Student Affairs make decisions about how we can best support students.

What Would You Share With A Non-Insights User to Encourage Them To Choose Their Own Adventure?

Once you are trained, using Insights is so easy! The dashboards are incredibly useful and ensure we have the data we need available at our fingertips.

If You Could Choose Your Own Superpower, What Would it Be?

This was the hardest question to answer! I think I have to go with the power for self-regeneration to be able to heal from any adventures.

Role: Executive Director, Learning Technologies

How Do You Use Insights 2.0 To Serve UNT?

I’ve always enjoyed puzzles and problem-solving and Insights 2.0 gives me the tools to solve important puzzles for the University. As a recent example, our unit has partnered with an external marketing firm to execute a digital marketing plan for seven of our online graduate programs. In order to make social media buys, the firm needed to know who to target. In short order using an Insights dashboard, I was able to pull the demographics of current and recent students by academic plan so our marketing partners could create target profiles and tailor our messaging to effectively reach this audience. In another recent use, I pulled multiple years of headcount data for graduate programs with an online delivery option and created an interactive line chart to visualize which programs were growing over a 4-year program and which might benefit from a marketing boost. At a minimum, this is a good conversation starter about strategic enrollment growth. Logging into Insights 2.0 is like putting on a pair of special decoder glasses that allow you to see trends where formerly there was only rows and columns of discrete information.

What Would You Share With A Non-Insights User to Encourage Them To Choose Their Own Adventure?

Access to well-designed analytics tools is always a winner when searching for truth in a space full of common foes like gut instinct, the loudest voice, and pocketful of anecdotes. Remember: The plural of “anecdote” is not “data.” There are three characteristics of Insights that really stand out to me:

1. Intuitive navigation and easy-to-use dashboards and visualizations

2. Quick access to detailed data sets for off-line analysis

3. The DAIR superfriends, a customer-service focused team, who is always willing to engage in exploration, offer guidance, and continually improve processes and tools based on user feedback.

And I can’t emphasize enough how amazing the support is. Exploring new territory can be daunting and no one wants to look powerless or dumb. DAIR provides a comfortable environment where you can learn, ask questions, and come away feeling smarter and, more importantly, be much better prepared to help others in your unit or management chain make strategic decisions based on solid insights. That’s a super power that feels good and does even better when it’s put into action.

If You Could Choose Your Own Superpower, What Would it Be?

If I could choose a superpower, it would be to instantly teleport anywhere either individually or with a small number of willing friends and family. Mostly, I’d probably use this to attend live music and theater events outside of DFW once it’s safe to gather in large numbers again. Currently, Zoom is the closest things I have to a teleportation tool.

Role: Academic Associate Dean, College of Science

How Do You Use Insights 2.0 To Serve UNT?

In the College of Science, we have tried to analyze the data to find factors that correlate with student success in our courses. In addition to other actions we’ve taken, data from Insights motivated us to institute “C or better” prerequisites in many of our classes to ensure that our students are sufficiently prepared for higher-level classes.

What Would You Share With A Non-Insights User to Encourage Them To Choose Their Own Adventure?

Insights has been a terrific tool for me, condensing vital information that used to take me untold hours to collect in a simple, digestible format. And if you have any questions about to find something in Insights, I’ve always found the Insights team to be extremely customer-friendly.

If You Could Choose Your Own Superpower, What Would it Be?

The “I Dream of Jeannie” head-nod that instantly cleans up any mess I create.

Role: Director of Financial Analysis for the UNT Budget Office

How Do You Use Insights 2.0 To Serve UNT?

I utilize the SCH information for the full university to help build the forecast of our revenue collections from Statutory and Designated tuition. The level of detail that is available is useful so that I can refine by level of student (Grad vs Undergrad). On an ongoing basis, I use the enrollment reports for HC and SCH by semesters to monitor how we are doing for the year against the budget assumptions made. I am then able to use this when providing variance explanations for our Quarterly Operations Reports to the Board of Regents.

What Would You Share With A Non-Insights User to Encourage Them To Choose Their Own Adventure?

Just clicking around and exploring is the best way to learn how to use Insights – it also allows you to find new data points and perspectives. Also, don’t worry about messing up anything – you can always close out and try again from the top level report.

If You Could Choose Your Own Superpower, What Would it Be?

Well, my 3 year old would prolly want me to be Elsa so she could be Anna and we could play Frozen together.

Role: Associate Vice President - Data, Analytics, and Institutional Research & Insights 2.0 Program Director

How Do You Use Insights 2.0 To Serve UNT?

I quickly distill insights from a broad array of data to respond to mission critical questions from senior leadership. By leveraging Insights 2.0 I help contribute to a culture focused on data-informed decision making!

What Would You Share With A Non-Insights User to Encourage Them To Choose Their Own Adventure?

Insights 2.0 can be a real game-changer in your effort to be the best superhero possible. It really speeds up the learning curve and will enable you to impact the students, faculty, or staff you serve and use data for good.

If You Could Choose Your Own Superpower, What Would it Be?

The ability to perfectly predict every UNT question for every member of our community without even having to ask them. We want to be as helpful as possible with Insights and it would be great to provide answers to all questions even before they are asked of the team. I would call it analytic clairvoyance!