1. All visualizations are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent an institution.
2. This guide will start on the summary tab. To open it click on Summary in the blue navigation banner at the top of your screen.
Note: You can also select the summary icon in the app overview screen.
3. The Summary Tab is a high-level overview of some of the key metrics in the Economics tool.
4. Below the filters, you will find some key metrics.
We define these metrics as:
Gross Revenue: The sum of gross tuition and fees charged to the students
Discounts: The sum of the institutional discounts or scholarships given to the students
State Appropriations: Funding provided by any governmental agency
Net Revenue: Gross revenue minus discounts
Instructional Cost: The sum of Full-time and adjunct faculty salary, benefits, and additional pay plus the sum of department costs that have all been classified as instructional cost
Contribution: Net revenue minus instructional cost
Definitions for all metrics within the system can be found on the Definitions tab.
5. All years of data will be shown cumulatively unless you filter to a specific year. It may be helpful for you to filter to the most recent year. Click on the Year filter.
6. The first row of filters is what we refer to as “Program Filters,” meaning that they filter down to the program (major) that a student is a part of.
In our system, a program is the sum of all courses taken by enrolled students. Revenue follows the student, and all costs will be brought back to the major that the student comes from, including any courses that those students took outside of the major. In other words, a student gets a fair share of the cost of the class regardless of which department taught the course.
7. Select the most recent Academic Year of data in the system.
8. The second row of filters is what we refer to as “Course Filters,” which are all courses taught by a department.
This will include all students enrolled in these courses regardless of program. For example, if an Accounting course was taken by students from other majors, those students would be included here. Here, costs are calculated directly using the instructor’s pay and workload units for each course, while revenue is a fair share calculation from each student who took the course.
9. Click on the check mark to confirm your selection.
10. Below the key metrics you can select what measure (Total $ or per SCH (student credit hours)) you would like to view the charts in, as well as the option to toggle between Program, Course Department, Course Subject, and Course.
11. The summary tab includes two sets of visuals. The top row of visuals shows you how some of the Key Metrics have changed over time. You can see graphs for Net Revenue, Instructional Cost, and Contribution
12. The bottom row of visuals shows you the top programs for each of the Key Metrics.
As you change between Totals and Per SCH or between Program/ Department/ Course Subject/ Course, the data in the graphs will update. These graphs will also re-calculate as you select any filters.
13. To move to the Rank tab click on Rank in the blue navigation banner at the top of your screen.
14. The Rank tab is an expanded view of the Summary Tab. This will let you view various metrics across your entire portfolio of programs.
15. Similar to the Summary tab, all years of data will be shown cumulatively unless you filter to a specific year. It may be helpful for you to filter to the most recent academic year.
16. Navigating this tab is also very similar to the Summary tab. Below the Key Metrics row, you will find the selections for what you would like to view in the charts.
17. Once you have chosen your selections, you can select the corresponding filters at the top of the page. One caution is to match the “View economics by” selection to the set of filters that you use.
If you have selected View economics by Program you should limit yourself to the Program filters.
If you have selected View economics by Department/ Course Subject/ Course you should limit yourself to the Course filters.
18. For example, if you select that you would like to view economics by Program, you should only filter by the program filters at the top of the page. Doing this will ensure that you have not cross-filtered out a segment of data.
19. Now, you can toggle between each metric you would like to view across your entire portfolio of programs.
20. The left hand chart shows you your selected metric across the entire portfolio of programs. You can scroll down and find each program ranked by your selected metric.
21. To move to the Scorecard, click on Scorecard in the blue navigation banner at the top of your screen.
22. The main strength of the Scorecard is that it allows you to compare one program against your entire portfolio of programs.
23. To view data, start by filtering to a single academic year of data. Click on the Year filter.
24. Select the academic year you would like to view data for.
25. Click on the check mark to confirm your selection
26. Next, select the Program you would like to view data for. Click on the Program filter.
27. Select the program you would like to view data for.
28. Click on the check mark to confirm your selection
29. There are three sets of visuals on this tab. First is a waterfall chart that shows you exactly how the Contribution from this program has been calculated.
You read this chart by moving from the left-hand side to the right-hand side. This chart shows you how the Key Metrics directly interact with each other to result in this particular program’s Contribution.
30. The second visual is the Percentiles. This shows you how the selected program compares to your entire portfolio in each Key Metric.
A percentile is a comparison score between a particular score and the scores of the rest of a group. It shows the percentage of scores that a particular score surpassed.
31. When looking at the Percentiles, it can be helpful to toggle between Totals and Per SCH.
32. To illustrate this, let's swap to Per SCH and see how the percentile values for the same program change. Click on Per SCH.
33. When we looked at this program in terms of Totals, we saw that it was in the 83rd percentile in terms of Contribution. However, when we look in terms of Contribution Per SCH this program is in the 36th percentile.
34. The third set of visuals shows you each key metric graphed over time for your selected program. Like everything else on the Scorecard, as you change between Totals and Per SCH or select different filters, the graphs will update.
35. To move to the Analysis tab click on Analysis in the blue navigation banner at the top of your screen.
36. The Analysis tab allows you to create your own scatterplot graph for your entire portfolio and quickly compare how a program, department, course subject, or course compares to each other.
This scatter plot will always be color-coded so that red represents programs/ departments/ course subjects/ courses with a negative Contribution. As you make different selections, this color coding will stay with you.
37. You can toggle the View economics by options in order to graph different areas of interest in the scatterplot.
38. Just like with all other tabs, you can easily toggle between Totals and Per SCH.
39. You can choose the variable you would like on the Y axis between: Net Revenue, Instructional Cost, or Contribution.
40. On the X axis, you can choose either Student Credit Hours or Instructional Cost.
41. Once you have made your selections, there are several options for how to zoom in on a particular section of the scatterplot. To use the lasso tool, click on any blank space within the scatterplot.
42. Select the lasso tool icon.
43. Click and drag to use the lasso tool to make a circle around the section of the graph you would like to select. This will apply a filter to select the programs within your lasso.
44. Click on the check mark to confirm your selection.
45. This will result in the scatterplot zooming in on the region you indicated with the lasso tool.
46. You will also notice, that a filter has been applied. This is indicated at the top of your screen.
47. Another helpful function of some visuals (the Analysis tab in particular) is clicking and dragging along either the X or Y axis. Click and drag the range you would like to select.
For example, if you would like to select programs with a negative Contribution, you could start at $0 and drag down the Y-axis.
48. Click on the check mark to confirm your selection.
49. This will result in a zoomed-in scatterplot of the region you highlighted.
You will also notice, that a filter has been applied. This is indicated at the top of your screen.
50. To move to the Data Table click on Data Table in the blue navigation banner at the top of your screen.
51. The data table is a self-built, customizable view that will allow you to dive into the data at a granular level.
52. To populate the table, you will need to select dimensions on the left-hand side of the screen.
53. Once you have made your selections, click on the check mark to confirm your selections.
54. As you continue to make selections, you will see more fields appear in the table.
55. Next, you need to select the metrics you would like to include in the table.
56. In addition to Time and Program attributes, you can also select Course attributes.
57. Selecting metrics works the same way as selecting dimensions. Once you have made your selections click the check mark to confirm your selections.
58. Student Attributes can also be selected here.
59. In addition to the Economic Metrics, you can select various Rates and Shares.
60. Various other metrics can be found under the Units menu.
61. Nearly everything within the Economics system can be exported in a variety of formats. You have the option to export charts, and visuals, as well as to create custom tables and export them to Excel. Right-click on the table that you would like to export.
62. Click on Download as...
63. Click on Export Formatted Data to Excel to download your export.
64. You also have the option to save views within the system. This can be done using the Bookmark icon. Select the Bookmark icon at the top of your screen.
This will open up a menu of preset bookmarks, each of which can be a helpful view within the system.
65. This will open up a menu of preset bookmarks, each of which can be a helpful view within the system.
66. To save a new Bookmark, select the “Create new bookmark” option that appears in the top right corner of the bookmark menu.
67. name your bookmark something distinctive so you can easily find it again. Once you are done, hit the green “Create” button.
Any bookmarks that you save will only be visible in your account. If you create a view that you would like to share across your institution, reach out to us, and we can help to publish it for your institution so that everyone can access it.
68. The “Save Layout” option is often helpful as it will save any sorting or formatting that you have done. For example, if you have a table that is sorted based on a specific metric, the “Save Layout” option will keep that sorting when you return to it.
69. To save your bookmark click on the green Create button.
70. Lastly, confirm that you would like to save your bookmark by clicking on the green check mark.
71. Now, you will see a new bookmark in the menu under the section called My Bookmarks. Anytime you select that bookmark it will re-open the table or view you have saved.
72. The Additional Analysis tabs allow you to dive deeper into a variety of areas. To access these tabs, select “Additional Analysis” in the blue banner at the top of your screen. We will start with the DFW tab.
73. The DFW rate is the share of students that receive a D, F, or Withdrew from a course. The DFW tab allows you to break down DFW rates by department, program, course, demographics, year, and course level, as well as a variety of other ways.
74. Across the top of this tab, you will see a row of key metrics that will provide you with an overview of the data.
75. The first visual shows you how DFW rates have trended over time. In this case, we can see that in 2018, there was a 12% DFW rate, and in 2021 there was a 10% DFW rate.
76. You can adjust the slider to remove courses with 1, 2, 3, or 4 enrolled students.
77. The next two visuals will allow you to look at DFW rates by either demographics or by departments.
As you scroll down the page, you’ll also find visuals for DFW rates by Course, Course Level, and Programs.
78. You can zoom in on a specific area by selecting a filter at the top of the page. For example, if you filter to an Academic Unit, the data in each visual will reflect your selection.
79. To move to the Section Analysis tab, open the Additional Analysis drop-down menu from the blue navigation banner and select Section Analysis.
80. The Section Analysis tab provides you with insight into instructional trends at your institution. There are four charts to explore on this page.
81. The first one looks at Instructional Trends over time. You can see how the count of Unique Sections, Students, and SCH has changed over time in relation to the initial year of data.
This chart shows whether trends in enrollment are aligned with trends in the number of sections taught. In this example, there has been an 8% decline in the count of students but a 2% increase in the count of Unique Sections. This could indicate a potential inefficiency.
82. This chart shows you Section Count by Section Size and Type. The distribution emphasizes the number of sections taught with five students or fewer. This gives you insights into how large various types of sections tend to be, as way as a way to identify small and large sections
83. You can hover over a bar in the chart to see a breakdown of the section types.
84. The next chart shows Net Revenue and Cost Per SCH By Course Level. This allows you to see how several key metrics change across course levels.
In this example, we can see that fewer SCHs are delivered as the course level increases and that the Cost Per SCH trends upward as the course level increases. At the developmental level (0), cost per SCH is higher than net revenue: indicating that course level has a negative contribution.
85. The last chart on this tab shows SCH by Section Size. There are several insights that we can gain from diving into this chart.
The first insight is what section size generates the largest number of SCHs. In this case, sections between 21 and 25 students account for the largest number of SCHs.
We can also focus on the cumulative % of SCH line and % of Sections line. These show you the aggregate % of the bar chart to the left of each point. For example, we can see that 50% of SCH's are delivered in sections that have 25 or fewer students and represent 65% of the total sections offered.
86. To move to the Prog-Dept Matrix, open the Additional Analysis drop-down menu from the blue navigation banner and select Prog-Dept Matrix.
87. The Program-Department (Prog-Dept) Matrix shows you the interaction between programs and courses. The matrix provides insight into which departments serve the entire institution or those that primarily serve specific programs.
Reminder: a program is the sum of all courses taken by enrolled students. Revenue follows the student, and all costs will be brought back to the major that the student comes from, including any courses that those students took outside of the major.
And a Department is a collection of courses which includes all students enrolled in these courses regardless of their program.
88. To read this matrix, it is best to look at either a full row or a full column. Each row represents a program (the major a student is a part of), and each column represents a department (containing all courses taught by that academic department).
In this example, we can see that the Department of Business (column) taught students from a wide range of programs.
If we read the same chart horizontally across the row for the program of Computer Science (Bachelor’s), we can identify all of the departments in which Computer Science majors took courses.
89. This tab also gives you the option to toggle between SCH, Net Revenue, Instruction Cost, and Contribution to look at various KPIs in the matrix.
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