young businesswoman with laptop in office
We often hear stories about how data is exploited by organizations for financial gain. We hear about the Facebook’s and Cambridge Analytica’s of the world. Yet data can be used to uplift lives and encourage positive outcomes in society. I read an article in the New York Times titled “Data Drives Innovation in College’s Reinvention”. The article discusses how Georgia State college has used analytics to target students in danger of dropping out. Students in this critical category are not left to the wayside. Intervention steps are quickly enacted to help the student complete his/her college degree. For example, the institution has determined if a student takes off a semester the likelihood of returning is very small. Often financial pressures hinder a continuity of semesters. The college has the ability to quickly disburse microgrants of a few hundred dollars to at-risk students to pay for books, unpaid tuition and fees.
What are some other ways data is used for good? #DataForGood
