ADHE: A Tool to Characterize Higher Education Dropout Phenomenon

The field of academic analytics emerged in higher education institutions (HEI) because of developments in database technologies and the generalization of data-mining practices and business intelligence tools. We have designed and implemented a dashboard called ADHE (Academic Analytical Dashboard in Higher Education) for a Colombian higher education institution. The purpose of ADHE is to help administrators of academic programs in their decision-making process regarding the analysis of the phenomenon of student dropout. We used the pipeline methodology for processing large volumes of data was used, which is based on five phases: data acquisition, integration, cleaning, transformation, and visualization. All phases were carried out in the R programming language using academic information sources from the Faculty of Engineering of the Universidad de Antioquia and the Colombian Institute for the Evaluation of Education. The dashboard ADHE is open for free and can be consulted at:  https://fhernanb.shinyapps.io/AppPermanencia/. The main findings were that social stratum, gender, and type of high school are associated with the student dropout phenomenon. Furthermore, in social stratum 1, male students and public high schools tend to have a higher student dropout proportion. Additionally, we conclude that admission to engineering programs requires a balance of qualitative and quantitative abilities. The dashboard ADHE should be used to help students, parents, teachers, and administrators understand student dropout dynamics

Estudi dels sistemes d'informació analítics en el context universitari: Proposta d'un sistema analític universal per a la universitat

Un element clau per a l'èxit de les empreses és la implantació de sistemes analítics amb l'objectiu de fer-les més competitives. Aquests sistemes han evolucionat fins a arribar a una certa maduresa i les empreses han adquirit una experiència elevada a l'hora d'implantar-los. En l'àmbit universitari encara no s'ha assolit el nivell del sector empresarial, tot i que, recentment, han emergit diverses disciplines analítiques que redueixen aquestes mancances, la majoria de les quals sota el paraigua de l'anàlisi de l'aprenentatge (learning analytics). En contraposició als sistemes analítics de l'entorn empresarial, els sistemes analítics de la universitat tendeixen a estar molt focalitzats. Principalment, trobem dos enfocaments analítics a la universitat: l'un centrat en la gestió universitària amb suport institucional i l'altre centrat en el procés d'aprenentatge dels estudiants, habitualment sense suport institucional. En aquest treball de tesi s'indica la necessitat de fer convergir aquests dos enfocaments per a construir un sistema analític institucional i transversal en totes les seves activitats.Un elemento clave para el éxito de las empresas es la implantación de sistemas analíticos con el objetivo de hacerlas más competitivas. Estos sistemas han evolucionado hasta llegar a un estado de madurez y las empresas han conseguido una elevada experiencia en su implantación. En el ámbito universitario todavía no se ha alcanzado este nivel de madurez de las empresas, aunque, recientemente, han emergido varias disciplinas analíticas que reducen estas carencias, la mayoría de ellas bajo el paraguas del análisis del aprendizaje (learning analytics). En contraposición a estos sistemas analíticos del sector empresarial, los sistemas analíticos de la universidad están muy focalizados. Principalmente, hay dos enfoques analíticos en la universidad: uno centrado en la gestión universitaria con el apoyo institucional y el otro centrado en el proceso de aprendizaje de los estudiantes, habitualmente sin el apoyo institucional. En este trabajo de tesis se indica la necesidad de hacer converger estos dos enfoques para construir un sistema analítico institucional y transversal en todas sus actividades.Creating analytical systems with the aim of making companies more competitive has been a key element in businesses' success; these systems have evolved to reach a certain maturity, and businesses have become well versed in their implantation. However, when applied to universities, analytical systems have been less successful. In order to make up for this, several analytical approaches have appeared recently, most of them under the umbrella of learning analytics. In contrast with analytical systems employed in businesses, university analytical systems tend to be very focused. Specifically, there are two main analytical approaches within universities: one is focused on university management with institutional support, while the other emphasizes students¿ learning process, usually without institutional support. This dissertation discusses the need to combine both approaches to create an institutional and cross-disciplinary analytical system that encompasses all the activities carried out by universities