Delta 2006 News - October 30, 2001

SmartViewer lets users drill down into OIPR, EM data

Decision-makers at DePaul can now slice and dice research data generated by the Office of Institutional Planning and Research (OIPR) and Enrollment Management (EM) without having to wait for a custom report, thanks to a new Web-based research tool called SmartViewer, made by SPSS.

SmartViewer allows users to take the information in regularly published reports, such as EMR's applicant and enrollment reports, OIPR's Fact File, or DePaul's various student surveys, and drill deeper into the data to answer questions particular to their program.

"For example, the graduating senior survey examines how interested seniors are in returning to DePaul for graduate studies," says Liz Sanders, director, EM Research. "Using SmartViewer, you can view the data by college, gender or other factors, identifying trends you can use for planning or enrollment. And, you easily can do it yourself, without waiting for a report from us."

OIPR and EM will continue to distribute their top-level reports, but those reports will now contain a Web address. Using a standard Web browser, users can pull up the data in a table, then make selections from drop-down menus to create customized reports.

"We want to support people making informed decisions based on data, but it is getting harder to meet everyone's needs quickly as the institution grows," says Sanders. "We'll continue to provide the analysis and top-line information that people are used to receiving, but we want to complement the research process with tools that people can use to get information for themselves."

SmartViewer allows users to draw on the same data set to meet individual needs, ensuring consistency of both data and resources across different user groups, says Joe Filkins, senior research associate, OIPR. "It also means that peer programs can compare apples to apples instead of using different data sources," he said.

Filkins and Sanders are conducting brief orientations with user groups and distributing the passwords needed to access the data. To get a password or join an orientation group, contact Filkins (jfilkins@depaul.edu) or Sanders (lsander3@depaul.edu).