Enhancing Student Success with Data-Driven Insights

Education

Company size
15,500+
students across undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
Market presence
UK
power bi logo png
azure sql
microsoft azure synapse analytics

Technologies:

Power BI, Azure Machine Learning, Azure SQL Database, Azure Synapse Analytics

Challenge

The university faced several operational and academic challenges: 

A lack of centralized insights into student engagement and performance made it difficult to identify and support at-risk students in a timely manner. 

Classroom allocation was inefficient, leading to overcrowded lecture halls and underused seminar rooms. 

Academic, financial, and administrative data resided in disconnected systems, hindering comprehensive performance analysis and decision-making. 

There was no mechanism to anticipate enrollment trends, making it challenging to align resources with student demand. 

Solution

To address these challenges, we delivered a robust analytics ecosystem leveraging Microsoft technologies: 

Centralized Data Integration: 

  • Unified academic and operational data using Azure Synapse Analytics, enabling streamlined access to historical and real-time information. 
  • Azure SQL Database provided a reliable and scalable repository for transactional data. 

Predictive Analytics for Student Retention: 

  • Implemented Azure Machine Learning models to predict dropout risks by analyzing attendance, grades, and engagement metrics. 
  • Integrated actionable insights into Power BI dashboards, enabling academic advisors to proactively intervene with personalized support. 

Resource Management Optimization: 

  • Analyzed space utilization data to design optimized timetables and allocate classrooms based on predicted attendance patterns. 

Operational Reporting: 

  • Developed Power BI reports to provide decision-makers with an overview of enrollment trends, financial performance, and resource allocation. 

Results

The university achieved measurable improvements in its operations and student success: 

Resource optimization strategies improved classroom utilization by 40%, reducing costs associated with inefficiencies. 

Power BI dashboards equipped university leaders with the tools to make data-driven decisions, boosting overall institutional effectiveness. 

Predictive models enabled administrators to forecast enrollment and allocate resources accordingly, improving strategic planning.