Data Wranglers – September 2026

Sep 1, 2026 | Data Wranglers, Intercom

 

Data Wranglers

Insights. Impact. Student Success.

  • 🏛️ ORPE ON CAMPUS

    🎯 Strategic planning & institutional priorities

    📊 Data, dashboards & reporting

    📝 Surveys & assessment support

    🎓 Enrollment & student success insights

    Have a question? Start with ORPE.

    We can help identify the right data, frame the question, and connect the findings to decision-making.

  • 📣 CAMPUS POLL

    What helps us spot students who may need support?

    As classes get underway, early information can help us connect students with support before small challenges become larger ones.

    What early alert variables do you use or find most useful?

    📚 Grades or academic performance

    📅 Attendance

    ⚠️ Faculty/staff alerts or referrals

    📝 Missing or incomplete assignments

    💻 LMS / digital engagement

    ❤️ Personal, wellness, financial or support indicators

    📈 Enrollment or retention signals

    ❓ Other / unsure

    Take the September Data Wranglers Poll:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FXTVDYD

  • 🤖 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

    Can AI outreach improve student success?

    What researchers found

    ✅ Students receiving AI-enabled outreach had stronger course outcomes

    ✅ Students were more likely to engage with academic supports such as tutoring

    ✅ Effects were generally similar across student groups

    ✅ In one microeconomics course, women receiving the intervention earned final grades about 7% higher than women in the control group

    Why it matters

    💡 Technology may be most valuable when it helps students connect with people, resources, and support rather than simply providing answers.

    Source: NBER Working Paper 35397, July 2026. DOI: 10.3386/w35397

    👥 QUESTION FOR CAMPUS

      • Where could timely, personalized outreach help NMC students most?
Early insight. Timely support. Better opportunities for student success.
Welcome back! Here’s to another year of turning data into impact.

Data Wranglers – August 2026

Aug 12, 2026 | Data Wranglers, Intercom

As summer begins to wind down and we look ahead to the start of a new academic year, it’s a great time to reconnect around the data, research, and planning that help inform our work across campus. This month, we’re highlighting how ORPE supports campus conversations, the shift toward more thoughtful and intentional use of AI in higher education, and research on why students may leave their majors and what those findings can tell us about supporting students earlier.

Data Wranglers

Insights. Impact. Student Success.

  •  ORPE ON CAMPUS

    The ORPE / Data Wranglers team shares research and data to support campus conversations and student success.

    🎯 Strategic planning support

    👥 Enrollment & student success insights

    📊 Survey and dashboard updates

    🤝 Cross-campus decision support

  • AI + Higher Ed

    From experimentation to intentional use

    ✅ AI can help brainstorm, summarize, and organize work

    ✅ Use AI to support thinking, not replace judgment

    ✅ Protect sensitive student and institutional data

    ✅ Review outputs for accuracy, bias, and context

    Why it matters ↙

    • Builds AI literacy across campus
    • Encourages responsible and practical use

  • Research Spotlight

    Why students leave their majors

    Our research finds students may leave majors when they feel underprepared, unsupported, or overwhelmed.

    🔵 Academic challenge can drive uncertainty

    🔵 Support and belonging matter

    🔵 Early intervention is important

    🔵 Data can help identify where support is needed

    Reference: Why students leave their majors: A meta-ethnography.(n.d.). Inside Higher Ed.

    👥 QUESTIONS FOR CAMPUS

      • Where do students seem to struggle early?
      • How can advising and support respond sooner?
“Good data doesn’t replace conversation — it improves it.”
Thanks for partnering with ORPE to support informed, student-centered decision making across NMC.

Data Wranglers – July 2026

Jul 10, 2026 | Data Wranglers, Intercom

Hello Data Wranglers,

Happy July! As we move through the summer months, this is a great time to pause, review, and prepare for the data, reporting, assessment, and planning work that will support the year ahead.

Data Wranglers

Insights. Impact. Student Success.

  •  What to Review This Month 

    July is a good time to check in on dashboards, reports, and lingering data questions before the fall semester gets busy.

    A few helpful reminders:

    • Ensure that you are connected to VPN
    • Review dashboard access and make sure the right people can see the data they need.
    • Check for upcoming reporting, planning, or assessment deadlines.
    • Identify data questions early so there is time to clarify definitions, sources, and next steps.
    • Use existing dashboards when possible before requesting a new report.
    • When sharing data, include important context such as filters, timeframe, population, and source.

  • Data Tip: Start With the Question

    Before opening a dashboard or requesting a report, start with the decision you are trying to make.

    Ask yourself:

    • What are we trying to understand?
    • What decision will this information support?
    • Who needs to use the information?
    • What action might we take based on what we learn?

    Starting with the question helps make data more meaningful and useful. It also helps ensure we are not just collecting information, but using it to support planning, improvement, and student success.

  • Dashboard Reminder

    Filters matter.

    A small change in a dashboard filter can significantly change what the data shows. Before sharing a dashboard screenshot, summary, or takeaway, double-check the selected term, student group, program, course format, location, or other filters.

    Whenever possible, include the filter settings with your summary so others can understand exactly what the data represents.

    Looking Ahead

    As fall approaches, data will continue to play an important role in enrollment conversations, student success work, assessment, planning, and continuous improvement.

    Thank you for the work you do to ask good questions, support thoughtful decisions, and help strengthen NMC’s culture of evidence.

    Have a great July!

    ORPE

“Good data doesn’t replace conversation — it improves it.”
Thanks for partnering with ORPE to support informed, student-centered decision making across NMC.

Data Wranglers – June 2026

Jun 5, 2026 | Data Wranglers, Intercom

Data Wranglers

Insights. Impact. Student Success.

  • CURRENT RESEARCH

    Recent studies continue to show that students with a stronger sense of belonging experience:

    • Higher pass rates
    • Better persistence
    • Improved mental health outcomes

    Source: Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 2025

  • ORPE SNAPSHOT

    NMC’s strategic planning work continues to prioritize:

    • Student belonging
    • Gateway course performance
    • Advising engagement
    • Early support systems

    What We’re Exploring

    • Linking belonging survey data with course success outcomes
    • Expanding evaluation dashboards
    • Identifying student groups with differing experiences

  • DASHBOARD CORNER

    Recently Updated / In Progress

    • Course Demand Dashboard
    • Belonging & Course Success Dashboards
    • Strategic Plan KPI Framework
    • Gateway Course Reporting
    • EvalKIT Integration Projects
“Good data doesn’t replace conversation — it improves it.”
Thanks for partnering with ORPE to support informed, student-centered decision making across NMC.