Our purpose
The Data Analytics for Student Success (DASS) programme at the University of Cape Town (UCT) builds institutional capabilities for harnessing the power of data to support student success.
Our goal is to empower UCT's academic community and decision-makers, bridging the gap between data and decision-making. We provide the tools and know-how to make data-driven decisions. This practical approach ensures that relevant data is accessible to stakeholders across the university.
Furthermore, our insights enable better decision-making and intervention planning for improved student outcomes at both the course and programme levels. The results of our work have a direct impact on teaching decisions and curriculum design, as well as tracking student performance and addressing attrition.
Through the DASS programme, UCT is actively leveraging data analytics to drive student success.
Our offerings include:
We are in constant pursuit to enhance the mapping, embedding and upscaling of student success capabilities using data analytics, thus enabling the democratisation of decision-making and the establishment of a business intelligence centre (or institutional data warehouse).
Our structure
The DASS programme is a joint initiative between the following UCT entities:
- Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED);
- Information and Communication Technology Service (ICTS); and
- Institutional Planning Department (IPD).
Also involved are the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment (EBE) and the UCT Faculty of Health Sciences Education Development Unit (EDU).
The DASS team comprises experts in the field of student data analytics who dedicate their time, passion and expertise to this programme.
DASS is a UCT-funded programme that was established in 2020.
Supporting UCT's Vision 2030
The DASS programme directly supports UCT's Vision 2030: “Unleash human potential to create a fair and just society”. By strengthening data-driven processes and capabilities for student success, the work of DASS boosts responsiveness of staff and institutional systems. This, in turn, contributes to UCT's pursuit of excellence, transformation, and sustainability.
Vision 2030 urges us to unlock students' potential by providing engaging and cutting-edge curriculum through transformed pedagogies. These pedagogies not only facilitate student engagement with their learning but also empower them to become agents of change. Learning analytics plays a crucial role in guiding these efforts, as it offers an objective view of successes and challenges, improves administrative decision-making and optimises resource allocation.