Background
Recognising the importance of data-driven decisions in modern education, our client has been at the forefront of promoting inclusivity and accessibility across its network of school. Comprising of Primary schools, Secondary colleges, Boarding colleges, along with Prep to Year 12 colleges, they understand the significance of harnessing data effectively to inform decision-making and improve student outcomes. This commitment to leveraging data for actionable insights led them to embark on a transformative journey in late 2022, establishing a comprehensive student learning dashboard to consolidate diverse datasets and empower educators with the information needed to enhance teaching practices and optimise student success.
The Challenge
Our client encountered a complex challenge in consolidating diverse data sources into a unified platform capable of providing comprehensive insights into student performance, attendance trends, and demographic dynamics. This included critical reports such as subject results, early years testing program data, NAPLAN and PAT testing results, and demographic information, which were scattered across multiple systems, impeding thorough analysis and decision-making.
Furthermore, issues with data quality and the presence of disparate datasets across 29 schools added complexity to data management and reporting processes. This challenge persists due to variations in data entry methods and discrepancies in data across different schools within the system. Managing these variations across numerous schools presents ongoing difficulties in data management and analysis.
The Solution
Antares Solutions’ approach to addressing these challenges involved a comprehensive solution encompassing data integration, analytics, and visualisation. Leveraging Microsoft technologies such as Power BI and Synapse, Antares established a robust data infrastructure capable of ingesting, processing, and analysing vast volumes of diverse data sources.
The solution focused on several key areas:
- Data Integration: Seamlessly integrating data from disparate sources, including CNET, their central data provider, into a unified platform. This integration allowed for a comprehensive view of student performance, attendance trends, and demographic insights.
- Customised Reporting: Antares developed custom reports and dashboards using Power BI, tailored to meet the unique needs of educators, administrators, and stakeholders. These reports provided actionable information for instructional strategies, curriculum development, and student support initiatives.
- OEA Framework Integration: Antares integrated the Open Education Analytics (OEA) framework to drive best practices and maximise community development. This framework facilitated streamlined data ingestion into Synapse and seamless integration with Power BI, enhancing data-driven decision-making.
- Secure Access and SSO: Antares implemented secure access controls and Single Sign-On (SSO) capabilities to manage access to dashboards and data, ensuring data sovereignty and user management.
- Operational Excellence: Antares’ solution prioritised operational excellence, enabling scalability, future extensions, and ongoing enhancements to meet evolving needs effectively.
By deploying best practices in modern data analytics, Antares helped our client understand correlations and identify causations from data, driving meaningful insights and actionable recommendations for improved student outcomes.
The Result
The implementation of the solution has enabled the organsiation to achieve its goals of leveraging data for meaningful insights and actionable recommendations. The consolidated data platform serves as a single source of truth, providing a holistic view of student learning-related data. The OEA framework has driven best practices and community development, while secure access and SSO capabilities ensure data sovereignty and user management. The solution’s operational excellence allows for scalability and future extensions, maintaining a high standard of user experience and design in Power BI.
