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

In my role at SRC, along with my team, we handle the end-to-end processing and facilitation of the QILT data. This involves tasks such as overseeing the distribution of data to participating institutions, collecting and processing the data for fieldwork, facilitating the fieldwork execution, and collating and disseminating the data from the field. Additionally, part of my responsibilities includes analysing the QILT data to extract insights.

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

In the evolving landscape of institutional research, I anticipate that data literacy will be a fundamental skill. As expansive datasets such as QILT data continue to grow, the capacity to navigate, interpret and extract actionable insights from this abundance of information becomes increasingly crucial. Effectively deriving meaningful conclusions from data will significantly influence informed, evidence-based decision-making, thereby propelling institutional strategies forward. However, the ‘where’ to look in the data—that, is the ability to discern critical focal points within these datasets—is equally important.

Moreover, the ability to communicate with data, especially through data visualisation techniques, has become progressively essential. Presenting data in a digestible manner, and ensuring that key stakeholders can easily engage with and utilise this information effectively to inform strategic priorities, are crucial in this era of institutional research. I strongly believe the effective communication of data ensures that data is not just ‘available’ but also comprehensible and actionable.