Data dilemma: Strategies for simplifying data and platforms
Christian Friday
Are you drowning in logins and new platforms? This article offers practical strategies from a Trust wide network to help teachers and leaders reduce platform fatigue and consolidate data, turning information overload into actionable insights.
Welcome to ‘The Login Labryrinth’
It’s 8:00am, you’ve made a fresh coffee in the staff room, and shared some humorous anecdotes with your colleagues about your shared weekend experiences; which in my experience usually consists of being your child’s full time social secretary – playing taxi driver to a variety of sports fixtures, performances, playdates and parties. Coffee in hand, small talk over, you switch on the computer screen and are faced with the following: 14 tabs open, two forgotten passwords and a security verification required, but your phone is currently on-charge in the staff room.
It’s really important to emphasise here, that multiple platform fatigue isn’t a personal failing, it’s simply an unintended consequence of the greater use of technology as a tool, which as slowly grown over the past two decades. However, it’s important to keep in mind that these platforms can serve a good purpose and if used correctly, are huge time savers and provide us with the insights to make informed decisions.
Death by a ‘Thousand Dashboards’
Does it feel like your school or Trust bolt on new platforms like they are collecting Pokemon or football cards? Just when you think you have grasped the full suite, a new and exciting one has been released, which they must have! What we have to consider here is the cost, and I don’t necessarily mean financial, albeit important, but the time spent mastering these systems and the ‘band-width’ limit staff have.
It’s important for anyone who makes the decisions on purchasing these products to understand that more or different isn’t always better and will this ultimately improve the outcome, opportunities or experiences of the young people we serve?
Consolidate, Consolidate, Consolidate
It’s important we take a holistic view of the various platforms we use and ask ourselves, does it feel like we are trying to cook a five course meal in five different kitchens? If the answer is yes, we have to consider does any new platform we are considering replace an old one (or even two), and will this new platform talk to an existing one? If platform A and platform B don’t speak to each other, the teacher, becomes the manual data bridge, usually via the medium of a spreadsheet.
Personally, I have found myself in this situation many of times, and have mastered the fine art of a VLOOKUP as a result. For me, any platform which can be linked with a school’s Management Information System (MIS) should be a non negotiable as we want our teachers to focus on teaching, not on unnecessary admin.
Recently our Trust has moved away from internally built assessment trackers across their schools and procured a new platform specialising in trackers. Whilst it was another platform to adopt, and a move away from the spreadsheets everybody felt familiar and comfortable using, we couldn’t argue that a new system which linked directly to our MIS was much more efficient. Specifically, class lists and key data are always current, and little to no risk of anyone accidentally deleting data and formulas churning away in the background.
In essence, we moved away from multiple platforms (spreadsheets) managed by individuals, risking ‘single point of failure, to a consolidated approach. Whilst a ‘one size fits all’ approach may not take into consideration all the nuisances of individual subjects, you have to weigh up the benefits and drawbacks. If the outcome saves valuable time, is accurate, and provides beneficial insights, it’s worth considering.
Actionable Insights
‘Why’ we have collected this information is the important question to ask ourselves. With my numbers hat on, I want to know does the data we are collecting highlight any strength or areas for development.
Often the platforms we subscribe to, provide a comprehensive report or analysis dashboard. Don’t be afraid to focus on a maximum of three charts which are the most insightful and provide that “oh I see it now” moment. Sometimes less is more and focusing on a handful of things which have the potential to make the biggest difference. If you need more information, the 40 page report is always there for reference.
Four top tips
I’m one of those data geeks who loves a platform, number crunching, and a fancy graph, even when the picture might be rather bleak. However, I appreciate this is not everyones cup of tea so I will leave you with four of my top tips for managing the growing web of educational platforms we have become accustomed to:
- The ‘one in, one out’ rule. Treat your software library like a well managed wardrobe. Before purchasing a shiny new platform, an existing one needs to be firmly placed in the digital charity bag.
- A single source of truth. If the attendance data is different on three different platforms (something I discovered recently during the middle of an inspection), ask yourself the question, are any true? Choose one and stick with it.
- The ‘why’ filter. Before adopting any new platform and asking your team to input data, ask the question, ‘if we collect this data now, will it change what and how we teach moving foward?’ if the answer is no, delete.
- The disruptor. This one is aimed specifically at those at a senior level who sign-off the 3 year deal and have little to do with the integration process. Invite those annoying people in your team who ask all the questions and like to dissect a new product (I’m one of these by the way). They like nothing more than finding a limitation during the sales pitch and pointing it out to the company representative. Whilst the benefits may still outweigh the drawbacks, these colleagues are there to identify any ‘blind spots,’ enable you to make an informed decision and potentially save you a heap of money.
