Harnessing Data, Taming Digital Sprawl, and Enabling Experiential Learning for Student Success

Despite the many challenges facing higher education—demographic shifts, financial uncertainty, technological change, and waning public support—conventional wisdom prevails at many colleges and universities: Stay in your lane. Traditions are our strength. Keep adding people and programs. Markets and missions conflict. Demographics are destiny. Do more with less. Create broad appeal. Copy peer institutions. Get consensus before taking action.

Following conventional wisdom won't work for leaders focused on student success. It maintains the status quo rather than improving retention, graduation, and career placement rates so that students can lead more purposeful, rewarding lives. Unless something changes, separations and silos will persist instead of our students. Students won't find their people, purpose, or career path. Unemployment and underemployment among recent graduates will increase, amplified by artificial intelligence (AI) disruptions across industries. The value and impact of higher education for students and society will remain in doubt.

These challenges all mean that higher education must change. Instead of silos, we need more connected colleges and universities. They should be communities where students feel a sense of belonging, receive the support they need, and complete courses that lead to rewarding careers. They should be places where faculty, staff, and administrators work better together and collaborate with peer institutions and industry partners to enable student success.

If you're a CIO, vice president of academic technology, vice president of student success, or if you leverage technology in areas like student affairs, enrollment management, or career development, you can lead this change. You can break down silos within your institution and forge partnerships with peers and companies so that students succeed.

To create better-connected colleges and universities, focus on making three key shifts. First, use technology to help students blend work and learning so they are building valuable skills and relationships. Second, provide data to drive better decisions and track their impact. Third, end the digital sprawl that results in student, faculty, and staff experiences that are anything but seamless and whose costs are unsustainable. Let's go through the statistics, stories, and strategies for each.

Blending Work and Learning to Build Skills and Relationships

It's hard to imagine an aspect of student success that technology doesn't touch and can't improve. Digital tools are ubiquitous in higher education. They range from general student portals and specialized mobile apps to core infrastructure such as learning management systems (LMS), customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, student information systems (SIS), and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Regardless of the acronym, the goal of using technology in higher education is to help students learn skills and build relationships that connect work and learning while facilitating creativity and collaboration.

When work and learning are separate, students miss opportunities to find community, purpose, and value. Only 65 percent of college students feel a sense of belonging, and 58 percent of young adults report lacking a sense of meaning or purpose in their lives.^Footnote1 In Wiley's State of the Student report, 81 percent of students say it's important or very important for schools to offer real-world, company-led projects, but only 30 percent of instructors say they do. Likewise, only 24 percent of students take a career development course because too many institutions are stuck in the old model: "Career development is something extra that students do in spare time they don't have."^Footnote2 Only 36 percent of students are satisfied with career services. These college-career disconnects are showing up in the workforce: 52 percent of recent graduates are underemployed, and the unemployment gap between college graduates aged twenty-two to twenty-seven and those without a degree is the narrowest it's been in thirty years—perhaps because AI is replacing certain entry-level jobs.^Footnote3

Technology can play a vital role in integrating work experiences into learning. It can connect students and faculty with experiential learning projects such as the Elevate platform created by Illinois Tech, which makes opportunities more visible and showcases successes. It can also facilitate the work on those projects, helping students create, collaborate, and communicate. Whether creating new store concepts for a retailer or analyzing the supply chain for a manufacturer, students who embrace experiential learning aren't just writing papers and taking tests; they are developing real-world, professional skills, exploring different career paths, and gaining teamwork skills and leadership expertise.^Footnote4 The ability to work well on a team is highly sought after by employers, according to the American Association of Colleges and Universities. However, only 48 percent perceive that recent graduates are well prepared in this regard and, in many cases, students agree.^Footnote5

Instead of seeing generative AI (GenAI) as a threat to academic integrity, faculty can use it to foster students' creativity and prepare students for the workforce. By designing assignments that are personal, iterative, reflective, and applied to real-world scenarios, educators can transform AI into a catalyst for deeper learning. Institutions that integrate AI into the curriculum equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to prepare them for workplaces where AI is already integral. Examples of how AI has been integrated into coursework range from the University of Michigan's tutor bot to Arizona State University (ASU) students using GenAI to "debate philosophers" to Tulane's AI-powered life design courses.^Footnote6

Reimagining the Role of Data

Academic technology provides tools, training, and support. As people use technology, pursue professional development, watch videos, and read communications, they are also generating data. For example, years ago, Georgia State used data such as LMS logins, attendance, participation, and assignment submissions to better support students through its GPS advising initiative.

Now, institutions recognize that usage data from their LMSs, CRMs, portals, and other platforms is as valuable as the technology itself. Too often, data is treated like exhaust when, in reality, it is oxygen. Like breathing, data sustains better decision-making in support of students. Academic technology groups can strengthen student success by improving how they collect data, establishing data governance to manage and protect it, and using it to inform decisions. These decisions can range from institutional priorities to individual support—from what platforms to invest in to which students are at risk and how to better advise them on courses, clubs, and career paths.

Ivy Tech Community College is one example of an institution that has long leveraged system data to make strategic changes. By consolidating disparate support services and systems, such as registration, student accounts, financial aid, and more, into a "one-stop" solution, they reduced average wait times from nineteen minutes to thirty seconds.^Footnote9 At Ivy Tech, 50,000 students generate over twenty-six terabytes of stored data in their daily interactions with technology. The institution recognized the value of this data in identifying students at risk of failing a course in the first two weeks of the semester. Then they contacted these students, offered support, and drastically reduced withdrawal and failure rates. To date, this has helped more than 34,712 students.^Footnote10

Leveraging data from the LMS established the first wave for the institutional use of predictive analytics. The next wave is integrating other types of student data. For example, student engagement platforms such as Suitable, Pathify, and Anthology Engage track organization participation and event attendance. Georgia Southern University's Eagle Engage portal for student events, organizations, and service opportunities helped 76 percent of students get involved in cocurricular activities and events—up from an average of 64 percent in a national survey.^Footnote11 Similarly, an engagement dashboard developed by the University of Georgia aligns programs with skills, informing student decision-making about services, programs, and operations.^Footnote12

Moving to Sustainable Systems

Colleges and universities have a traditional way to meet new needs: add a program, department, or technology. Despite good intentions, their siloed structures and poor strategic planning mean that institutions often adapt by adding. Each silo selects its own systems, and each system requires more training, support, and communications—not to mention more data to secure, analyze, and manage. Strategic plans full of anodyne statements about innovation and excellence don't help people say "no" to a program, partnership, or platform that's not a priority. Few institutions are as good at sunsetting things as they are at starting them. This is especially true when it comes to technology. Instead of suburban sprawl with dead downtowns and long commutes, colleges and universities have digital sprawl, with awful experiences, insecure data, and unsustainable costs.

Current student experiences are anything but seamless. There is a new app for nearly every aspect of university life, spanning forty-four educational technology segments, according to encoura's Eduventures edtech landscape study.^Footnote14 Most institutions have several redundant systems for scheduling appointments, sending messages, managing relationships, booking spaces, and more. A 2023 study by Tyton Partners found that a lack of integration was the biggest barrier to successful advising. It also uncovered that 65 percent of academic advisors used two to three different systems. The same was true for 66 percent of career services staff, 70 percent of financial aid staff, and 75 percent of mental health staff.^Footnote15

The costs are not sustainable either. Adjusted for inflation, technology spend per full-time employee increased by 113 percent among colleges and by 32 percent among research universities from 2013 to 2023.^Footnote16 Similarly, Forrester's Q2 2024 Tech Pulse Survey found that 77 percent of U.S. technology decision-makers report moderate to extensive levels of sprawl.^Footnote17

To tame digital sprawl, inventory what you have, lean into IT governance and institutional strategy to decide what you need, and make bold decisions for the sake of your students, staff, and faculty. Leverage EDUCAUSE resources on digital transformation (Dx).^Footnote18 Together, these changes can help you identify which technologies to sunset as you simplify your tech stack. Across the country, institutions are taming digital sprawl, and you can too. Alabama A&M University, for example, consolidated its student portal, mobile app, chatbot, and employee intranet to reduce its budget by 18 percent.^Footnote19 Consolidation can also happen on back-end systems. Institutions like Unity Environmental University have consolidated their systems with a combined CRM/SIS to streamline operations, cutting transfer review times in half.^Footnote20 This fueled remarkable growth from 665 residential students in 2015 to more than 10,000 residential and online learners today.^Footnote21

Putting It All Together

Technology leaders can drive student success by blending work and learning, using data to inform decisions, and ending digital sprawl. These actions can move the needle on retention, graduation, and career placement rates. But more than that, whether through a real-world class project, a student organization, or an internship, students will belong to a community. They'll be connected to mentors, advisors, and services that support their study skills, digital fluency, communication skills, and more. They'll explore and advance their careers through coursework and cocurricular activities. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and corporate partners will work together to make this happen.

Institutions need the right technology systems, support services, staff, strategy, and leadership to make this possible. When technology leaders provide clear direction, institutional strategy sharpens its focus, shifting from doing more with less to doing less with more. These leaders value agility, dismantle silos, and make bold, informed decisions. They recognize that differentiation is destiny, building niche communities with distinctive offerings that set their institutions apart. They also understand that markets and missions do not have to conflict, and they actively partner with industry to advance learning and research. This approach creates better-connected colleges and universities where students succeed.

Note: This article is adapted from and includes excerpts from the author's book The Connected College: Leadership Strategies for Success (Wise Ink Creative Publishing, 2025).

Excerpts are reprinted with permission from the author.

Notes

1. Fall 2022 Reference Group Executive Summary,(American College Health Association, Fall 2022); Richard Weissbourd et al., "On Edge: Understanding and Preventing Young Adults' Mental Health Challenges,"Making Caring Common (Harvard Graduate School of Education), October 2023. Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.↩
2. The State of the Student 2022,(Wiley, 2022); Jillian Kinzie and Filiz Akyuz, "Exploring the Influence of Course-Based Career Experiences and Faculty on Students' Career Preparation,"NACE Journal, May 15, 2022.Jump back to footnote 2 in the text.↩
3. Student Voice: Life After College,(Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse, November 2023); Talent Disrupted: College Graduates, Underemployment, and the Way Forward, (The Burning Glass Institute and Strada Education Foundation, February 2024); Gad Levanon et al., No Country for Young Grads: The Structural Forces That Are Reshaping Entry-Level Employment, (The Burning Glass Institute, July 2025).Jump back to footnote 3 in the text.↩
4. To learn how institutions are connecting classrooms with corporate needs, see Elliot Felix, "How Academia and Industry Are Working Together,"Twin Cities Business, November 17, 2023. Jump back to footnote 4 in the text.↩
5. Ashley P. Finley, The Career-Ready Graduate: What Employers Say About the Causes and Consequences of Skills Gaps, (American Association of Colleges and Universities, 2023); "Student Experience Snapshot 2023: Eight Insights on What Students Value and How Well Colleges & Universities Are Meeting Their Needs,"Buro Happold (blog), January 2, 2023.Jump back to footnote 5 in the text.↩
6. See "How U-M's AI Services Are Making a Difference in the Classroom,"News & Communications, University of Michigan Office of the Provost, accessed February 4, 2026; Stephanie King, "ASU Students Debate with Famous Philosophers Using Generative AI,"July 25, 2024; and Julia Lang, "The Case for ChatGPT as the Ultimate Educator's Toolkit," September 20, 2023.Jump back to footnote 6 in the text.↩
7. Stephanie Marken and Drew Curtis, "Four in 10 College Students Have Had Internship Experience," Gallup (blog), August 16, 2023.Jump back to footnote 7 in the text.↩
8. Expanding Internships: Harnessing Employer Insights to Boost Opportunity and Enhance Learning,(Business-Higher Education Forum, 2024).Jump back to footnote 8 in the text.↩
9. Elliot Felix,"Ending the Runaround: 12 Steps to Integrated Student Services," Buro Happold (blog), July 24, 2023.Jump back to footnote 9 in the text.↩
10. "Ivy Tech develops machine learning algorithm to identify at-risk students and provide early intervention,"Google for Education Customer Stories, accessed February 4, 2026.Jump back to footnote 10 in the text.↩
11. "Georgia Southern Receives National Recognition for Eagle Engage from NASPA," Georgia Southern University, March 22, 2024; Colleen Flaherty, "The Other Engagement Problem," Inside Higher Ed, November 10, 2025.Jump back to footnote 11 in the text.↩
12. "Student Engagement Dashboard Wins NASPA Award," Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education, University of Georgia, March 27, 2024.Jump back to footnote 12 in the text.↩
13. Willow Bay, "Annenberg Insights: Pushing Past the Status Quo to Innovate and Support Our Students," LinkedIn, July 14, 2022.Jump back to footnote 13 in the text.↩
14. "2023 Tech Landscape," Eduventures Research, encoura, 2023.Jump back to footnote 14 in the text.↩
15. Driving Toward a Degree 2023: Awareness, Performance, and Personalization in Advising, (Tyton Partners, 2023).Jump back to footnote 15 in the text.↩
16. EDUCAUSE Analytics Services, EDUCAUSE, accessed February 5, 2026.Jump back to footnote 16 in the text.↩
17. Biswajeet Mahapatra,"CIOs, Get Tech Sprawl Under Control," Forrester (blog), September 17, 2024.Jump back to footnote 17 in the text.↩
18. To learn more about strategic IT governance, read Ashley Caron, "EDUCAUSE QuickPoll Results: Positioning Higher Education IT Governance as a Strategic Function," EDUCAUSE Review, February 21, 2024, and explore the Dx resources on the EDUCAUSE Digital Transformation (Dx) webpage.Jump back to footnote 18 in the text.↩
19. "Alabama A&M University Consolidating Systems & Saving Budget,"Pathify, n.d.Jump back to footnote 19 in the text.↩
20. Tondro Consulting and Unity Environmental University, "Unity Environmental University's Enterprise Digital Transformation: From CAMS to Salesforce as SIS," press release, December 11, 2025.Jump back to footnote 20 in the text.↩
21. Sarah Holtan and Melik Peter Khoury, "Get Down to College Business: An Operating Model That Leads to Enrollment Growth,"Get Down to College Business (podcast), Unity Environmental University, March 12, 2024.Jump back to footnote 21 in the text.↩
22. "University of the Pacific Consolidation & Costs Savings," Pathify, n.d.Jump back to footnote 22 in the text.↩