This week, we continue our discussions about the potential impacts from the changes at the Department of Education with a specific focus on federal student aid. After that, we consider the usefulness of role-based dashboards compared with generic ones before closing with an article on crafting mission-specific AI policies at your institution.   

After reading today’s issue, share in the comments if you have created role-function dashboards at your institution. 

How Financial Aid Could Be Impacted 

From With hundreds fewer workers, can the Federal Student Aid office still function? | USA Today and What could happen to financial aid without the Department of Education | CNBC and US education department insiders warn student loan system at risk: ‘The gatekeepers are gone’ | The Guardian  

Various looks at how financial aid might be impacted by the changes at the Department of Education (ED).   

Our Thoughts 

There were so many articles to choose from related to the aftereffects of the potential dismantling of ED. It was challenging to select just one topic. While I could have discussed the impacts on national educational data or how these cuts might affect the humans working on our campuses, I chose to focus on financial aid instead. Among all potential impacts, I think a broken or barely functioning financial aid system represents the most significant challenge facing the higher education sector.   

We’ve discussed this before. The vast majority of students rely on financial aid to attend post-secondary education. The gutting of ED places institutions in an even more challenging position, potentially threatening student access, persistence, and overall financial stability. Given that many institutions already face financial pressures and rely heavily on effective, timely management of federal student aid, this disruption has profound implications for institutional budgets, enrollment management, and student retention.  

Additionally, reduced staffing levels raise concerns about reduced oversight, a higher likelihood of fraud and abuse, and significant disruptions for students and institutions alike. While there have been comments about moving Federal Student Aid administration to the Small Business Administration (a move that doesn’t seem logical and may conflict with the Higher Education Act), that government office also has a reduced staff.   

While this situation unfolds, it’s important to understand the potential ramifications these changes could have, as they directly affect your institution’s ability to ensure compliance, properly administer student aid, and protect students from unethical practices. Again, whether you agree or disagree with the administration, it’s critically important to stay informed about these changes. While they may seem positive or negative (depending on your perspective), there are real downstream effects that will directly impact your institution and be widely felt across the higher education sector. 

Role-Function Analytics 

From To be a data-informed institution, design analytics for role-specific functions | DxED  

Jeremy Anderson, Vice President for Institutional Research at Collin College, makes the case for role-specific dashboards over generic ones.    

Our Thoughts 

For the second article this week, I wanted to take a break from discussing the Department of Education cuts and their potential aftereffects. As I read Anderson’s post, I felt myself nodding along, recalling my own experiences designing dashboards and reports that were rarely used. Generic dashboards, despite their breadth of information, often fail to inspire meaningful actions or decisions. Beyond institutional leadership, regular users frequently visited these dashboards solely to export the data into spreadsheets so they could take action with it.   

Anderson’s suggestion to develop role-function analytics offers a promising solution to improve the usefulness of our data tools. As a bonus, he even offers a quick-start guide and case study for those who are interested but unsure where to begin. At my previous institutions, some of my most impactful dashboards were designed to help users take specific actions, such as the one I created to assist advisors with first-year student registration.   

As we shift to more personalized, data-informed student support strategies, it should come as no surprise that our end users expect the same from their data tools. People want tools that enable them to do their jobs effectively and support their campus communities. Anderson’s article challenges us as higher education professionals to rethink how we create and deploy data tools, urging a more thoughtful alignment with actual user needs and institutional goals. Ultimately, adopting these recommendations will not only lead to increased dashboard usage but will also more directly contribute to meaningful improvements in student experiences and outcomes. 

Crafting AI Policies 

From Crafting Thoughtful AI Policy in Higher Education: A Guide for Institutional Leaders | Campus Technology  

The authors attempt to guide institutional leaders through a process for crafting thoughtful AI policies that reflect your institution’s mission and core values.   

Our Thoughts  

While I personally have mixed feelings about AI and its place in education, determining how to thoughtfully integrate AI into your campus community is still a pressing challenge faced by many institutions. Articles such as this are important because they provide leaders with additional perspectives as they consider institutional AI policies. Specifically, this article rightly emphasizes the importance of aligning AI adoption with your institution’s mission, values, and strategic goals. AI policies should not be a one-size-fits all approach.   

Given the accelerating pace at which AI is being developed and integrated into multiple platforms, I appreciated the authors acknowledging the need to balance ethical safeguards with opportunities for innovation. Additionally, the list of AI policies from leading institutions provides a valuable starting point for institutions that may be struggling to develop their own policies. However, those policies should serve primarily as a reference while you work through the steps for crafting your own intentional, ethical, and mission-driven AI policy.   

For now, at least, AI remains a powerful force attempting to shape our institutions. Crafting a thoughtful, proactive AI policy remains critically important to help ensure that you control the impact of AI on your institution and its culture.