MODULE 2
Developing and Operationalizing HEMIS at the Institutional Level
Coming soon
Welcome to Module 2. This session marks a critical shift from understanding higher education data systems at a broad, general level to focusing directly on how individual institutions design, strengthen, and use their own data systems. You will explore why a well-designed management information system matters, how it balances internal strategic management with rigid external accountability frameworks, and what specific learning goals you will achieve across the four segments of this module. Watch this video first to establish a clear strategic baseline before moving into the practical tracking exercises.
Schedule: August 26, 2026 – September 8, 2026
Time Commitment: This module requires an estimated total of 12 study hours distributed across 2 weeks.
READING MATERIALS
LESSON 1: Identifying and Mapping Institutional Data Needs
Before an institution can design or strengthen its data system, it must answer the fundamental question of what data it actually requires. This video addresses the challenge of moving your university from routine data collection for compliance to active data use for strategic institutional intelligence. You will examine the three main categories of institutional data needs, which encompass internal management, long-term strategic intelligence, and external reporting frameworks. The session also provides a clear, three-step practical approach to identifying information needs, mapping existing data sources, and pinpointing critical institutional data gaps.
READING MATERIALS
Please read the following chapters from Martin, M. (2018). Internal quality assurance: Enhancing higher education quality and graduate employability (IIEP Policy Brief). UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning.)
lesson 1 Assignment
LESSON 2: Assessing Institutional HEMIS Capacity
Knowing what data your university needs is only the first step, as you must also evaluate whether your current system actually has the capacity to respond to those needs. This video expands the definition of capacity beyond basic software or databases to focus on the interconnected interplay of technology, institutional processes, and human expertise. By exploring the four key dimensions of data systems: collection, processing, utilization, and governance, you will learn how to holistically diagnose institutional capacity gaps and identify the specific roadblocks that require immediate strengthening. Please watch this video before the synchronous session on Assessing Institutional HEMIS Capacity.
READING MATERIALS
Synchronous Session 1: Assessing Institutional HEMIS Capacity
Welcome to our first synchronous live session for Module 2. This interactive, 90 minute workshop shifts our focus from mapping what data your university needs to evaluating whether your current institutional capacities are structurally ready to deliver it. We will look past basic software applications to analyse the entire HEMIS ecosystem, examining how technical tools, administrative workflows, human resources, and data governance rules interact to support or hinder your data systems.
This session is designed as a collaborative, diagnostic workspace. You will join small peer groups to share your local institutional contexts and discuss the varying accountability requirements across different universities. Please ensure you have your completed Individual Exercise 1 template open and ready before the session begins. You will actively use your recorded data needs and localized bottlenecks to identify common regional challenges, which will directly prepare you to complete the capacity gap matrix in Individual Exercise 2 after the webinar closes.
lesson 2 Assignment
LESSON 3: Technological and Organizational Solutions for Strengthening HEMIS
When institutional data systems fail, the immediate reflex is often to purchase expensive new software, but technology alone rarely solves deep-rooted organizational problems. This video focuses on a holistic array of solutions designed to address your capacity gaps by combining technical architecture with institutional strategy. You will explore the core mechanisms of data governance and coordination, the power of centralized data integration and predictive analytics, and best practices for using interactive dashboards to communicate complex datasets clearly to university decision-makers.
READING MATERIALS
lesson 3 Assignment
CASE STUDY
This case study explores how Nelson Mandela University uses its Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS) to support institutional planning, strategic management and performance monitoring. Dr. Charles Sheppard demonstrates how integrated data systems, analytics, dashboards and reporting tools enable evidence-based decision-making across academic, administrative and financial functions while supporting institutional quality assurance and external reporting requirements.
Additional readings for the case study
LESSON 4: Developing a HEMIS Strengthening Strategy
Identifying technological and organizational solutions is a great starting point, but the true challenge lies in successfully executing and maintaining those improvements over time. This final video focuses on the operational realities of driving long-term culture change within a university environment. You will learn how to establish clear data ownership and stewardship roles, strengthen automated validation workflows to preserve data quality, and build a proactive institutional data culture where leaders routinely integrate dashboards into their day-to-day decision-making meetings.
Synchronous Session 2: Designing Your Strategic Action Plan
Welcome to our second and final synchronous live session for Module 2. This 90-minute interactive workshop focuses entirely on the operational realities of driving long-term change, moving us from the conceptual design of HEMIS solutions to practical, localized implementation strategies. Because there is no single universal model for an effective data system, we will spend this session analyzing how resource constraints, institutional readiness, and national policies influence your reform choices. Please bring your completed Individual Exercise 3 template to this broadcast. Working alongside your peers in collaborative groups, you will critically evaluate the real-world feasibility, sequencing, resource costs, and risks of various technical and organizational interventions. Together, we will isolate the core structural principles required to build a sustainable data culture, giving you the final analytical building blocks needed to draft your university’s comprehensive preliminary Action Plan in Individual Exercise 4.
