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Five Questions with Chandrama Acharya

Manager, Surveys at Macquarie University

Connect with Chandrama

Chandra chose to be interviewed in chair #6.

Photo of Chandrama Acharya standing in a light-filled office.

1. What is your job title?

Manager, Surveys at Macquarie University.

2. Briefly, how would you describe your role in your institution?

I manage the team that looks after all external and internal student, staff, and alumni surveys, including developing survey methodology, engagement strategies, analysing data, generating insights, and advising on performance monitoring, benchmarking, and quality assurance at strategic and operational levels. Moreover, I work as the lead advisor of survey research and methodology, and I support staff across the university to design and deploy survey research projects and analysis. I also manage the UniForum program, which measures and benchmarks the efficient allocation of professional staffing in the university sector. Managing the UniForum program involves working with staff from different areas of the university for data collection and validation, and then helping senior management and business units understand the results.

My expertise in IR is managing survey projects, data analytics, generating actionable insights, and acting as a trusted advisor to the senior management on student experience, engagement and outcomes, and professional staff resourcing.

3. From your perspective, what will be the key skills, capabilities, and knowledge required for institutional research moving forward?

With the fast-changing data landscape and workforce, expectations for IR shifted from a ‘reporting culture’ to a culture that generates predictive analytics and precise insights for decision-making. AI and machine learning have started entering the higher education sector in student lifecycle analytics, with the increasing use of external vendors offering dynamic solutions. Data governance, data security, and adapting quickly to changes in technology, particularly using AI and machine learning algorithms, will be some key future skills and capabilities. IR professionals need to master what they can do better than the machine and better with the machines.

4. What do you believe will be the future priorities or emerging areas of interest for institutional research since the emergence of COVID-19?

I think the following areas will be future priorities for institutional research:

  1. Whether and how universities are equipping students with the capabilities to embrace uncertainty, and to exert agency in changing and critical situations for the unknown future—which is beyond the Job-ready Graduates to future-ready graduates.
  2. COVID-19 brought forth a new way of delivering education using digital platforms that claim to be autonomous, evidence-based, flexible, and able to cater for every need. Future research needs to focus on the emergence of Edu-Tech companies as higher education providers, and the impact of digitalisation, datafication, privatisation, marketisation on the quality of education, and the cost-effective operations of universities.
  3. The changing labour markets and shortage of skilled labour after COVID-19 calls for more research on education policies in global, national, and local networks, involving multiple stakeholders and agendas.
  4. A few post-pandemic research papers revealed online fatigue in students, thus strategies on re-engaging students in an active learning and community environment would be worth investigating.
  5. Speedy growth of OpenAI solutions and their impact on learning and teaching, especially developing innovative approaches to assessment, would be another emerging area for research.

5. Complete this statement: In my role, I can’t operate effectively without …

… a great team, which includes my team at the Business Intelligence and Reporting office, senior management and colleagues across the university, teams at SRC, AAIR, UA, Cubane, and a few highly supportive colleagues from other universities.

Chandrama Acharya

May 2023

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Photo of Alex on a swing out in nature, with a white dress flowing behind. Five questions with Alexandra Sieniarski
  • About
    • Rules
    • Mission, Vision, Values and Strategy
    • Objectives
    • Code of Ethics
    • Organisational Structure
    • Executive Committee
      • Portfolios
      • Position Descriptions
      • Meeting Schedule
    • Annual Statements
    • Timeline
  • Membership
    • Join
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Membership Categories
    • Members
    • Life Members
    • Honorary Members
    • Fellowships
  • Events
    • Past AAIR Events
    • Awards
  • SIGs
    • Academic Research Institutional Analytics
    • Business Intelligence & Analytics
    • Government Reporting
    • Load Management & Planning
    • Surveys & Evaluation
  • Experts
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    • What is Institutional Research?
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