ABSTRACT
Higher education has been under scrutiny from members of the public who question the value of a college degree, funders who view increasing tuition rates as wasteful, parents of underemployed graduates, and countless others. This chapter presents the Colorado School of Mines ("Mines") as a case study of how a data-driven approach to decision making led to improvements in student learning and success. The Colorado School of Mines is a specialized baccalaureate and graduate research institution with high admission standards. It describes how Mines has developed a culture of data-driven decision making to achieve strategic planning initiatives, improve student success, and enhance continuous improvement efforts. The chapter includes examples of best practices in supporting a culture of using data for continuous improvement. It details some of the factors that necessitated the transition to a culture that utilizes a data-driven operational model.
