Developing a Business Intelligence Strategy to Support Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: The Virtual Business Intelligence Competency Centre (vBICC): Reintegration after Disruption

Riashna Sithaldeen; Kende Kefale; Jaamia Galant; Precious  Mudavanhu; Dimakatso Sebothoma; Stephen Marquard

doi:10.25159/2663-5895/14264

Authors

Riashna Sithaldeen University of Cape Town https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3921-7373
Kende Kefale https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4309-3731
Jaamia Galant university of cape town
Precious Mudavanhu university of cape town https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3401-0605
Dimakatso Sebothoma university of cape town https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3247-1400
Stephen Marquard university of cape town https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2099-2874

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-5895/14264

Keywords:

student success, higher education, Business Intelligence, teaching and learning, organising frameworks, learning organisation

Abstract

Significant inefficiencies in the higher education system have prompted institutions such as the University of Cape Town (UCT) to consider new strategies for student success, such as the application of business intelligence (BI) to teaching and learning. In 2019, a three-year project called Data Analytics for Student Success (DASS) was launched to develop and implement such a BI strategy. In 2020, the COVID-related shift to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) made it more urgent than ever that the institution was able to make evidence-based decisions on how to respond to student needs in real or near-real time. Despite still being an informal structure, the DASS was able to provide this much-needed service to the institution and continues to support the teaching and learning agenda. As a community of data practitioners with differentiated domain expertise, we reflect on the work of the DASS to articulate how this approach is different to existing BI strategies within the institution and how it has contributed to the teaching and learning agenda. We then consider the challenges of sustainability and impact and propose a model of a virtual Business Intelligence Competence Centre (vBICC) as a framework that can harness existing strengths within the DASS and will also provide a set of organising principles that can take forward data capacity-building and leadership for evidence-based decision-making at institutions like UCT.

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