Development of an Automated Institutional Research System for Institutional Decision-Making in Kyushu Institute of Technology

Abstract

A system has been established at the Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech) that enables both students and teachers to reflect on their learning history and complete self-evaluations using e-portfolio systems. However, the university has not yet implemented institutional research (IR) for decision-making at the institutional level. To address this gap, the Learning Teaching Center at the university decided to establish an Educational IR Support Group in FY 2022, aiming to strengthen IR in education. In addition to e-portfolio systems, various data are accumulated across different systems within the university. However, there were no integrated systems to utilize these data comprehensively, as various departments managed them individually. To overcome this, we introduced an extract transform load (ETL) tool as part of the initial IR system. Simultaneously, we implemented a data lake system as a centralized repository for storing data. The Educational IR Support Group is leading this project. This study begins by providing an overview of IR and how it should be conducted. It then presents the IR system being promoted at our university, including the introduction of the ETL tool and the establishment of a data lake. Finally, we describe our future plans and developments, which involve the potential introduction of a data warehouse and business intelligence tools.