Data is playing a huge role in bringing quantitative analysis to the discussion around student success initiatives in higher education, to limit the time it takes to complete a degree, as well as the financial burden of student debt. This week I connected with Dr. Mike Dennin, Dean of Undergraduate Education and Vice Provost of Teaching and Learning at UC Irvine to discuss the latest trends in the using both data and technology to maximize student success.
Dr. Dennin’s focus on excellence in education and social impact has helped make UC Irvine a national leader on the topic. During our talk, he had a lot to say about the lessons the institution has learned as they have emphasized the use of student data, as well as how UCI is responding in unique ways to work with faculty to elevate the way we deliver remote education.
Some highlights from our chat:
- You need the right sponsorship of your efforts in order to melt away the functional silos in higher education institutions
- Finding success requires taking risks: “You’ve got to get things wrong and be willing to get things wrong if you’re going to move forward.”
- “Technology is a tool, not a solution…the old joke when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Y don’t want to just take technology and hammer at everything, but you want to use it where it’s better.”
- The student experience is, and always has been personalized and unique: “There’s no such thing as the single college experience. At UCI there’s 30,000 college experiences.”
Dr. Dennin ends with a look toward the future and thinking differently about the way we prepare and launch our students into their careers. I really enjoyed our conversation. Take a listen.
-TA
