Data Literacy Institute
As part of our participation in the APLU’s (Association of Public & Land Grant Universities) Powered by Publics initiative, the University of Maine has been participating in the Data Literacy Institute throughout 2022-2023. This institute is a collaboration of APLU and the Association for Institutional Research, with funding from Ascendium. It is intended to provide data literacy training, and support participants as they collaborate on data-related projects intended to inform student success strategies. Eighteen faculty and staff from UMaine and UMaine Machias have been participating in weekly Zoom classes and collaborating on capstone projects related to three important areas of student success and retention: DFWL rates in gateway courses, the relationship between financial need and retention, and access to study abroad/travel study courses. The year-long program will conclude in April, with the final presentation of the capstone projects. This institute has been a wonderful opportunity for OIRA to collaborate with faculty and staff on data exploration. We are hopeful to develop more opportunities in the future to strengthen the data culture on our campuses.