Smart institutional decision making in higher education: data driven strategies for transforming university management
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63688/m5t54n81Keywords:
university management, decision-making, data analysisAbstract
Higher education institutions operated within a landscape characterized by digital transformation and the constant generation of information stemming from their academic, administrative, and financial processes. In this context, data regarding student performance, retention, faculty management, resource utilization, and service quality became strategically valuable for institutional management. This research aimed to analyze how data-driven strategies contributed to informed institutional decision-making in higher education by identifying key tools, applications, benefits, and challenges. A systematic literature review was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Searches were performed in Scopus, Web of Science, and SciELO, covering publications from 2016 to 2024. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, the final corpus consisted of 24 scientific studies. The results demonstrated that information systems, academic analytics, dashboards, predictive models, and early warning systems strengthened planning, student monitoring, and resource optimization. However, challenges were identified regarding system fragmentation, digital competencies, resistance to change, privacy, and data governance. The study concluded that data-driven management represented a strategic approach to transforming university administration, provided it combined appropriate technologies, reliable information, institutional capabilities, human judgment, and ethical principles.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Olga Leyva Juárez Osorio, Cora Adna López López, Omar Venegas Quintana, William Alberto Beltrán Canaría (Autor/a)
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