2023 Conference Workshops
Workshops are now available in the registration site! If you have already registered, you can modify your registration and add workshops.
Workshop Schedules
Saturday, October 14
Morning 8:30 am to 11:30 am
Afternoon 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Full-day 8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday, October 15
Morning 8:30 am to 11:30 am
Afternoon 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Newcomers 8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Full-day 8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Workshop Cost
$100 per half-day workshop; $175 per full-day workshop
$100 Newcomer's Workshop (includes lunch)
The registration desk will open at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday so you will be able to pick up the conference materials prior to the beginning of the first workshop.
For more information on SAIR Pre-Conference Workshops, please contact Marc Turner, Member-at-Large for Professional Development.
A1. Visualizing Data to Measure and Communicate Using Tableau Public
Saturday, 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Eric Atchison, Arkansas State University System
Elizabeth Wakefield, Arkansas State University-Newport
As a market-leading choice for modern business intelligence (BI), the Tableau software platform is known for taking data from almost any system and turning it into actionable insights with speed and ease. This full-day workshop will provide attendees with a background in data visualization basics and how to:
- Create several of Tableau’s primary chart types.
- Aggregate tables/charts into usable dashboards.
- Utilize filters to customize views.
- Utilize navigation tools to switch between views.
- Publish and share their work.
A2. IPEDS Beyond Compliance: How to Use IPEDS Data to Examine Student and Institutional Success
Saturday, 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
This workshop is designed for individuals interested in utilizing IPEDS data to examine and measure student and institutional success. The first half of the workshop explores the five IPEDS surveys that contain academic performance metrics (Completions, Graduation Rates, 200% Graduation Rates, Fall Enrollment, and Outcome Measures). Through group discussion, activities, and lectures, participants will learn what the measurements can—and cannot—tell us about student and institutional performance. The second half of the workshop will involve hands-on activities to work through a series of case studies based on real-life scenarios. Participants will identify the question being asked in each case study; determine the best metric(s) to use to answer the question; extract data using the IPEDS tools; perform analyses; and present the data to answer the question. Participants will gain the knowledge needed to explore and answer questions at their institutions or organizations.
This session is offered at no cost. Registrants must also register with AIR in order to attend the session: AIR/SAIR Beyond Compliance
A3. Basic Statistics Using Excel
Saturday, 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Emily Erwin, River Parishes Community College
This workshop will cover basic statistical principles and procedures for Institutional Researchers who do not have a statistics or other research-related educational background. Software will be limited to Excel. Topics to be covered include descriptive statistics, effectively and accurately displaying and summarizing data, hypothesis testing with Chi-Square and other measures of association, simple linear regression, multiple regression analysis, and logistic regression. At the end of the workshop, participants will be better consumers and producers of data analysis.
B1. Tools and Techniques for IE/IR Office Management
Saturday, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Laura Boyles, Davidson College
In this workshop, the participants will consider the results of the 2021 AIR National Survey of IR Offices to frame the needs of their own office. The participants will examine three main areas: identifying the needs of their ideal office, providing resources and ways to use resources to improve the office functions, and sharing tools to improve consistency and continuity. Participants will work through a process for identifying office personnel needs, participate in discussions of resources and tools for IR offices, and evaluate techniques which can improve the IR staff engagement and retention.
B2. Highly Effective Teaming: Integrating Creative Microsoft Teams Tools in IR Office Processes
Saturday, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Samantha Nix, Florida State University
Heather Epstein-Diaz, Florida State University
Katherine Gipalo, Florida State University
Lee Howell, Florida State University
This workshop will provide a framework for effective utilization of Microsoft Teams within the IR/IE context. Topics include detailed use of the basic Teams infrastructure, with a special focus on Planner and Power BI integration. Specifically, we will discuss how Planner can be used for IR project management. We will also show how Power BI can ingest shared Excel files in Teams to dynamically update dashboards with user-submitted data. Teams presents an opportunity to increase collaboration and efficiency in IR/IE offices. This session may be attended as an introduction to Branching into Automation: Putting Your Power into Power Automate on Sunday afternoon.
C1. Newcomer's Workshop
Sunday, 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Molly Hall, Virginia Tech
Suzanne Simpson, The University of Alabama in Huntsville
The workshop will provide an introduction to institutional research, its principal components, and the practices of institutional researchers including the sourcing of data, communication and reporting of data, and the role of institutional research in supporting the assessment and accreditation. The workshop will also address how institutional research offices function and how to be an effective practitioner of institutional research. Lunch is included with this session.
C2. Building Blocks and Baby Steps: Creating a Data Governance Program
Sunday, 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Zachary Hayes, Georgia Institute of Technology
The workshop will provide attendees with an opportunity to learn about the building blocks of a data governance program, easy approaches to begin creating a program, and tips, tricks, and lessons learned. Learning will take place through a presentation, in-workshop exercises, and collaborative dialogue.
C3. Leveraging Power BI to Visualize Institutional Effectiveness Assessment Processes
Sunday, 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Caitlyn Jessee, Florida State University
Galiya Tabulda, Florida State University
May Bolden, Florida State University
Javier Cuevas, Florida State University
Tracking the timeliness, quality, and completeness of Institutional Effectiveness (IE) assessment reports can be a challenging task. However, making all this information available in an easy-to-use, robust, interactive dashboard is a great way to communicate the status of the IE assessment activities to university stakeholders. During the workshop, we will walk participants, step-by-step, through building these dashboards in Power BI. We will focus on creating visuals that show assessment completion status for various campus units and alignments between Program Outcomes and Strategic Plan Initiatives. Join us to learn more about facilitating and tracking IE assessment processes on your campus!
C4. It takes a (Loveliest) Village: A how-to on hosting an elevated SACSCOC On-Site Review Visit
Sunday, 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Stuart Miller, Auburn University
Mark DeGoti, Auburn University
Rachel Jordan, Auburn University
Allison Stadler, Auburn University
Auburn University recently participated in SACSCOC’s decennial review process. In this workshop, the team will explore tips, tricks, do’s, don’ts, and provide a roadmap for you to take back to your campus to ensure a successful on-site accreditation visit. Attend this workshop for a how-to guide on what one on-site reviewer called, “the gold standard in on-site visit hospitality.”
C5. IPEDS Data Tools
Sunday, 8:30 AM - 12:00 PM
This workshop provides a hands-on deep dive into the IPEDS Use the Data website to better determine which of the various tools to use in applied higher education research. Participants can expect to learn when to use Data Trends, Statistical Tables, Summary Tables, Compare Institutions, and Custom Data Downloads leading to increased efficiency in responding to data requests. We will explore each of these tools and the benefits and limitations of each.
This session is offered at no cost. Registrants must also register with AIR in order to attend the session: AIR/SAIR IPEDS Data Tools
D1. Exploring Tableau: Creating Visualizations and Insights
Sunday, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Heather Lewis, Augusta University
Have you ever seen a Tableau dashboard and wondered, “Woah! I wonder how that was built” and/or “What does the raw data look like to populate that visualization?” – well then you are in luck! In this workshop, you will learn how to create basic applications, enrollment, and degrees conferred visualizations. You will also learn how to create effective data visualizations for surveys and how to get the data “just right” in Tableau Prep before bringing it over to Tableau Desktop.
D2. Branching into Automation: Putting Your Power into Power Automate
Sunday, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Lee Howell, Florida State University
Samantha Nix, Florida State University
Katherine Gipalo, Florida State University
Heather Epstein-Diaz, Florida State University
Immerse yourself in a dynamic automation workshop designed to unlock the collaborative power of Office 365 apps, such as Excel, SharePoint, and Power Automate. In this workshop, you'll elevate typical business processes into streamlined and automated workflows. Gain invaluable knowledge on automating repetitive tasks, crafting visually captivating reports, seamlessly integrating diverse data sources, and tailoring outputs to cater to the distinct needs of various stakeholders. Engage in immersive, hands-on exercises that not only emphasize the importance of documentation but also equip you with the expertise to revolutionize your department's operations, maximize productivity, and deliver outcomes tailored to your organizational requirements.
D3. Accelerating Institutional Analyses to Support Strategic Finance Efforts
Sunday, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Kelli Rainey, NACUBO
Resche Hines, Trivium BI
In 2021, NACUBO was awarded $3.8 million in grants to create tools and resources that will produce financially sustainable and equitable student outcomes. With the help of participating institutions, data visualization resources are being created and assessed to accelerate planning, budgeting, and financial allocation practices with an expanded lens on student need, support, and services. During this session, attendees will learn about these resources and the value they offer to business and finance efforts. In addition, attendees will gain exclusive access to resources to explore their functionality using scenarios and generic datasets. Laptops are encouraged for full participation.
D4. Creating Data Visualizations to Tell Your Cost and Productivity Story
Sunday, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Marcia Preston, The Cost Study at UD
Do your senior leaders know how much it costs to deliver instruction? Are your deans looking for data-informed ways to provide more instructional support to academic programs? Are you tasked with including visualizations and peer data in academic program reviews? This workshop reviews key principles of effective visualizations, explains how The Cost Study helps answer the above questions, and shows how other institutions use Cost Study reports. Past participation in The Cost Study is not necessary. Join us to learn some best practices of data communication and improve your ability to create visualizations that will engage and inform stakeholders!
