Data Insider

Category: Research

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    IRDS Research Reports and Briefs
    August 25, 2025 by

    The Institutional Research Office at BSU produces research reports on topics of interest to the BSU community and other stakeholders. Most of our research reports are driven by collaboration with BSU staff who have attended the Data Literacy Institute, offered by the Association for Institutional Research in partnership with IRDS (details available here). On this […]

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  • Supporting Sophomore Success: A Closer Look at Retention Beyond the First Year
    July 22, 2025 by

    Although often overshadowed by first-year retention, sophomore retention is a meaningful indicator of student progress. This blog post presents an analysis of second-to-third-year enrollment patterns at Ball State, highlighting factors that support continued enrollment. The analysis includes 7,649 Fall 2020–2022 first-time students who returned for a second year. The project builds on a project initiated by […]

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  • 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 […]

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  • 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. […]

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  • Literature Review – Factors Affecting Student Success
    February 23, 2023 by

    Literature Review Synthesized from Ernest Kwakye’s Annotated Bibliography by Alison Winiarski   Student success in university settings can be conceptualized through student performance, such as a student’s GPA, and retention. The following details variables that have been found to impact both constructs in hopes to understand how data can be used to improve student success. […]

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