Data Insider

Category: Institutional Research and Decision Support

  • Recap: Year 3, IRDS and Ball State
    June 30, 2025 by

    In our yearly recaps posted Recap: Year 1 and Recap: Year 2, we discussed several of the technological successes of IRDS and BSU. In this year three recap, we add in the relationships we have been building around campus. But first, we did implement two new important data product categories in year three. Workforce Insights In […]

    Read More

  • Data Insights: Explore Our Dashboards
    June 16, 2025 by

    At Ball State University, data isn’t just a tool, it’s an integral part of making informed decisions and supporting student success. Our team has been hard at work perfecting the tools that enable us to know and support students through their BSU lifecycle. Today, we are excited to introduce three Tableau dashboard walkthroughs: Admissions, Housing, and High-Impact Practices (HIPs). These visualizations enable […]

    Read More

  • Generative AI, Looking Through the Hype
    May 29, 2025 by

    AVP’s Corner Back in the 1990s there were many breathless news articles posted about how the internet and online colleges were the death knell for the traditional model of Higher Education. I printed out a few of the most alarmist articles and had them hanging on my corkboard for many years as a reminder that […]

    Read More

  • Featured Interview: A Conversation with Cole Heady About Ball State University’s Data Cookbook
    April 2, 2025 by

    Accessible, accurate, and reliable data are at the heart of data-informed decision-making. At Ball State University, Data Cookbook plays a crucial role in this process, serving as a central hub for data governance and ensuring consistency across institutional analysis and analytics efforts. It allows departments to work from a unified business glossary, improving decision-support and […]

    Read More

  • Featured Interview: A Conversation with Drew Miller about Ball State University’s Data Warehouse
    March 3, 2025 by

    Accessible, accurate and reliable data is at the heart of data-informed decision-making. At Ball State University, the Data Warehouse serves as the backbone for this, and facilitates one of our goals– supporting student success. We sat with Drew Miller, the Director of Institutional Research, and unpacked what the Data Warehouse does, how it functions, and why […]

    Read More

  • Data Literacy at Ball State University
    January 10, 2025 by

    In the world of Institutional Research, there are many cases where technical skills must be merged with linguistic, organizational, and social skills. Data literacy is one such area that calls for expertise across all four of these dimensions. At Ball State University (BSU), we are committed to growing our collective capacity to make data-informed decisions […]

    Read More

  • Introducing the IRDS E-Magazine
    January 9, 2025 by

    Welcome to the first edition of Ball State University Office of Institutional Research and Decision Support (IRDS) E-Magazine! This publication serves as a platform to showcase how we are fulfilling our mission for Ball State. The IRDS E-Magazine provides readers a glimpse into the work that supports planning, decision-making and student success across the university. […]

    Read More

  • Data Liaisons Group: Data Wins
    October 14, 2024 by

    During our monthly Data Liaisons Group meeting on September 9, 2024, we invited each member to share recent data wins from their areas. This was an excellent discussion and we had the opportunity to hear from several colleagues about how they use data to support students, streamline operations, and provide necessary context about the institution […]

    Read More