Leveraging Institutional Research to Scaffold Data Sensemaking and Understanding of Student Equity Among Community College Administrators

Institutional researchers (IRs) at higher education institutions fulfill a crucial role in identifying, processing, and disseminating data to administrators. Identifying effective ways for leaders to make sense of data is essential to advancing the most critical institutional issues, including achieving equitable student outcomes. However, leaders face barriers to effectively interpreting and using institutional data, such as time, tools, and resources. Historically, institutional researchers are primarily quantitative data analysts. Hence, IRs must rethink their roles and fundamentally change their analytical and dissemination processes to effectively support leaders at their institutions. IRs are particularly positioned to engage leaders and facilitate discussions about existing student inequities. This action research study illustrates how the institutional research function can be leveraged to advance the understanding of inequitable student outcomes among leaders at a community college (Hispanic Serving Institution, small, rural, public 2-year college in Northern New Mexico). The inquiry used Weick’s Theory of Sensemaking and the construct of data equity to inform the development of Critical Sensemaking Data Briefs (CSDBs). Specifically, this phenomenological single embedded-unit case study was focused on understanding how senior administrators engage in data sensemaking while participating in the CSDBs. The study findings support the assertion that IR can be positively leveraged to advance data sensemaking and student equity understanding. Administrators describe their experience engaging in collective data sensemaking and conceptualizing their professional responsibility toward equitable student outcomes. Findings from this study show that engaging in collective data sensemaking expands understanding through diverse perspectives, added context, and negotiated meaning. Additionally, this action research illustrates how IRs can lead the scaffolding of data sensemaking by providing guidance, context, a structure for dialogue, and the integration of reflection.