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Five Questions with Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Saunders

Research Analyst, Market Research & Insights at the University of Tasmania

Connect with Cassandra

Cassandra chose to be interviewed on a swing!

1. What is your job title?

Research Analyst, Market Research & Insights at the University of Tasmania.

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

I am fortunate to have worked at the University of Tasmania for almost two decades. During that time, my role at the university has changed substantially. Whilst I originally started out as an early career academic teaching undergraduate students about cell biology and biochemistry, I ultimately made the crossover to (some may say) the ‘dark side’ of institutional research in 2012.

My current role sits within the Market Research and Insights team, and involves the coordination, management, analysis, and reporting of core institutional surveys, in particular, the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) suite of surveys and the university’s internal system for collecting student feedback on individual units and teachers. At its core, the role has critical importance in clearly articulating student feedback data to a range of stakeholders across the university in a format that can be easily interpreted and utilised to inform key strategic policies and decisions. I also provide support, as needed, to a wide range of teams and staff across the university in relation to survey design and administration, and data analysis and reporting. One of the aspects that I value the most in my current role is the opportunity to engage and work collaboratively with a variety of teams and colleagues across the institution. This, in turn, provides considerable variety in the work that I do on a day-to-day basis, and has paved the way for me to collaborate on a range of interesting institutional research projects being undertaken across the university.

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

Given the ever-increasing amount of data that is available, and the rise of ‘big data’, it will be increasingly important for data to be presented clearly to intended audiences so that the key messaging is not lost. Evolving communication skills, not least of which include data visualisation techniques, are increasingly necessary to ensure data is presented in a meaningful format, and that key stakeholders engage with the data and use it appropriately to inform strategic priorities. It’s also important for institutional researchers to understand the priorities/needs of stakeholders and recognise that a one-size-fits-all approach to reporting and dissemination may not be the best method. For data insights to be acted upon, more nuanced mechanisms of reporting and dissemination for specific stakeholders may be more appropriate.

Collaboration, both across teams/organisational units within an institution and cross-institutionally, is also increasingly important as an institutional researcher. Building professional networks can open doors to collaborations and partnerships that can play a fundamental role in developing and diversifying institutional research projects. This can, in turn, often drive improvements to current practices more readily, and lead to broader transformative change than a more siloed approach can offer. Moving forward, further collaboration can be achieved by recognising key stakeholders (e.g., students, teaching staff, and professional staff) as decision makers that have direct input on how the data is utilised and any recommendations that are made, rather than the more traditional approach of institutional research based on a service relationship with a small set of decision makers.

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

Based on what I have observed in my current role of late, and work that I have recently been involved in, the concept of higher education students’ sense of belonging to their institution is gaining momentum as an emerging area of interest for institutional research. A students’ sense of belonging to their university community often has a direct impact on both student success and students’ overall satisfaction with their educational experiences (both critical aspects of higher education) and is certainly now becoming an important benchmarking and performance metric for many institutions. However, there is still work to be done to definitively understand how a tertiary student defines ‘sense of belonging’, and what the specific aspects of their university experience are that contribute to a high level of belonging. By garnering a better understanding of this, institutions can tailor programs and initiatives to successfully build ‘sense of belonging’ and, in turn, improve both students’ overall satisfaction and rate of success.

In Australia, the Universities Accord, of which the final report is due out in December 2023, is also likely to be a significant driver of institutional research priorities moving forward. The Interim Report highlights several large-scale issues for further policy consideration, including inter alia; accessibility to higher education, equity and diversity, international engagement and excellence in learning and teaching and the student experience, the latter of which closely aligns to the concept of ‘sense of belonging’.

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

… the support and collegiality that I receive from my colleagues in the Market Research and Insights team. We are a small, but close-knit team, with complementary skills that allow us to work together effectively to achieve institutional goals.

Cassandra Saunders

October 2023

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  • About
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