Senior Research Analyst/Manager Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Session Abstract: Traditional statistics like regression treat students as independent data points, missing the vital connections among students that define campus life. This session introduces Social Network Analysis to map the "hidden engine" of student engagement. We offer a new analytical lens to diagnose campus climate and provide senior leadership visual insights into whether the campus is integrated or segregated.
Topics: • What is Social Network Analysis? Why Social Network Analysis is essential for measuring student engagement and social cohesion • Case Study: Mapping student orgs to reveal engagement patterns and structural friction • Network Anatomy: How to identify "Bridges" (the path to an ideal campus) and "Silos" that hinder the ideal campus experience • Transform existing binary survey data into sophisticated network visualizations • Broader Application of Social Network Analysis in IR • Hands-on: Attendees get the R code and can even generate a network graph onsite using RStudio
Keywords: Social Network Analysis (SNA), Student Engagement, Institutional Research, R, Data Visualization
