August 7, 2024
What AI got wrong about institutional research and the role of analysts—a Badger Data Network recap
At July’s Badger Data Network, ChatGPT was put to the test. It was asked to create a presentation about how it can be leveraged for institutional research. Here is what we discovered:

  • Generative AI lacks the rich institutional and higher education knowledge that analysts apply to their work.  
  • AI is not optimized to say “I don’t know” and can provide answers that sound good but are incomplete or false.
  • You play a critical role in validating the output of AI and should consider the potential biases introduced.  
  • Use generative AI in tandem with work—not to replace it. 
Resources mentioned during networking: 
Information about Copilot (DoIT)
Generative AI @ UW–Madison: use & policies (DoIT)
Statement on use of generative AI (DoIT)
Exploring Artificial Intelligence @ UW–Madison (DoIT video series)
Co-intelligence by Ethan Mollick (book) 

Many compelling questions were raised about AI and its appropriate use in data analysis on campus. Over the next several months DAPIR will run a series of articles to help answer them.
 
August Badger Data Network
At our August Badger Data Network gathering, Stacy Scholtka, Chief Technology Officer with UW System Administration, Brad Sanders, DAPIR’s Enterprise Data Management Director, and Bethany Crowell, Associate Vice Provost for Institutional Research and Decision Support, will discuss: 

  • The future of Madison's data and analytics environment/platform
  • Ongoing EAP data set reviews and office hours 
  • How to request access to Workday data 
Meeting details
Date: Wednesday, August 21
Time: 10:00 to 10:50 am
Zoom link: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/97601199317 
 
A warm welcome to Matt Delaney 
We are excited to announce that Matt Delaney has joined DAPIR as a student success analyst focused on the communities OACS supports: advising, career services, and learning support. 

Matt brings significant experience in the advising and career services spaces and the data associated with them from his previous six years at UW–Madison. This position is an ideal match for Matt, letting his inner math nerd shine while continuing work that leads to student success after graduation. Matt is a coffee enthusiast who enjoys cooking and eating new food and spends time outdoors with his family when not working. 

This new position is a big win. It’s the start of a new partnership between OACS and DAPIR—one we hope might become a model for others across campus. 

Good luck, Matt, and welcome! 
 
Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research (DAPIR)
 
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN–MADISON
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dapir@provost.wisc.edu
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