Click here to receive your FREE subscription to Campus Technology
Features
Iowa Mines Data on Campus IT Usage
4/4/2002
Next, the team developed data mining and knowledge discovery techniques, selecting appropriate data mining software/tools for extracting useful information from the database. They then began exploring and interpreting data. With the aid of statistical and analytical tools, they discovered relationships among original or derived fields in data records and produced tables, graphs, and charts to show these relationships. A variety of data mining tools—including SAS Enterprise Miner, SAS/Insight, and SPSS Clementine—are available to create these models or pseudo-models.The final steps grew out of the accumulated data. At this stage, the IT administrators worked to validate their findings, applying information gathered separately to validate the results obtained through data mining. For instance, although there might seem to be a causal relationship between two variables, one might know of a third variable that is not part of the data warehouse that casts doubt on the assumed relationship. This step corrects for any erroneous assumptions drawn from the data at hand.
Following the validation stage, the data analyst performed additional analyses to obtain the maximum amount of information from the data warehouse. In these reiterations, the analyst might make additional transformations, explorations, and interpretations. Finally, the group recommended actions based on their findings, summing up the results of the data mining project, as well as making the process an important part of the institution's strategic plan.
When applied to data on ITC operations at the University of Iowa, this approach yielded useful information about software and hardware usage, which may have implications for software licensing, help desk support, and resource planning. A set of established procedures for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data about ITC operations was also established, as was the development of a model for determining the cost of operation and rate of return for individual sites and units. Finally, the project produced IT staff members and administrators who are more knowledgeable about using machine and related human measures for decision-making purposes.
For more information, contact William Knabe, University of Iowa, at william-knabe@uiowa.edu.
Recommended Reading
- Microsoft Unveils Exchange and SharePoint as Services
Microsoft exec Stephen Elop on Monday announced two hosted solutions from Microsoft--Exchange Online and SharePoint Online--which are now available to organizations of all sizes in the United States. The software, paid for by annual subscriptions, is hosted on Microsoft's servers and supported by Microsoft's channel partners.
- 6 Ways Not To Become Rote Using Instructional Technology
There are, in my experience, six strategies to consider with any use of technology that will guard against rote use of technology and facilitate critical analysis of teaching and learning effectiveness. In this article, I'll share with you the checklist I work with and encourage others to work with in learning about and using new technology.
- Bringing Student Web "Stuff" to Campus Enterprise Systems
How can an institution incorporate Web 2.0 learning opportunities for students, and evidence of learning from those opportunities, into existing campus technologies and processes? PlugJam is providing part of the answer.
- Delta iTunes U Helps Meet Student Expectations for Web 2.0 Apps
As part of a strategy to meet students' expectations to experience interactive Web 2.0 applications in their learning environments, Delta College in Michigan launched an online Delta iTunes U site this fall.
- Tipping Point for "Content"--Dynamic Interaction, Not Static Stuff
The word "content," as used in education, is troublesome for many educators today who see education as a constructivist process, an interaction between knower and learner, and as a student-centered activity.
- Penn State Pilots Proctored Online Testing System from Kryterion
The Pennsylvania State University's World Campus and Kryterion have gone public with results of a pilot in which students completed proctored exams online using Webassessor Online Secured Testing. The technology is intended to deliver tests without the need for an in-room proctor present.
