Te Whare W膩nanga o Waitaha | 91制片厂 (UC)鈥檚 internationally renowned student success programme, Kia Angitu, focuses on the early experiences of students at UC. It brings together a range of initiatives to help students transition into their first year and make the most of their studies.
A standout component of this programme is Analytics for Course Engagement (ACE), which has transformed how the University approaches student success. By providing a personalised dashboard, ACE offers students insights and recommendations tailored to their needs and allows them to view how their engagement levels are tracking compared to their peers. For staff, it provides an enhanced real-time view of online engagement with learning systems.
ACE employs advanced analytics to identify and support vulnerable students, including M膩ori, Pacific, and first-in-wh膩nau learners. By analysing engagement data on the student LEARN website, the system proactively reaches out to students showing signs of disengagement through a personalised text message. Over 75% of these students re-engage and subsequently invest more time in their studies. For the remaining 25%, UC provides direct support to ensure they receive the help they need.
Already in 2024, ACE has connected with 4,286 students, significantly enhancing their educational experience and fostering greater engagement.
The success of ACE is a result of in-house collaboration between Kia Angitu and Digital Services. Through years of continuous development, the bespoke software solution integrates seamlessly with UC鈥檚 learning management system. This collaboration enables the combination of engagement data with theoretically informed metrics about students鈥 characteristics and behaviours, resulting in a comprehensive model for identifying at-risk students. The flexibility and creativity in designing ACE have made it a groundbreaking tool in the New Zealand tertiary education landscape.
UC鈥檚 commitment to sharing its success has led to the creation of authentic relationships with other universities worldwide, encouraging other institutions to adopt similar practices. Winning the was a recognition not only of technological innovation but of the profound impact on student lives. This award highlights UC鈥檚 dedication to promoting a data-driven culture that emphasises learning from insights and improving enterprise intelligence, ultimately enhancing the educational landscape.
Read the full IDC announcement .
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 - Quality Education.
