Developing an effective school research scorecard can be confusing. As long as you keep certain elements in place, the process can be made easier.
Nowadays,
the use and implementation of metrics are quite rampant in just about any industry. And if you think that this is not really something that you would typically see in the school setting or the academe, then you just might be surprised. This is because there is indeed such a thing as the school research scorecard.
When you are in delving into school research, you need to make sure that the whole endeavor is carried out properly. This brings forth the importance of implementing the scorecard, so that every aspect of the activity is maintained at a balance. For this to be carried out, the first thing to remember is to have metrics that are realistic. There is no point in formulating metrics if these are not realistic in the first place.
To do this, there are four areas to keep an eye on. These are the internal stakeholders, the external stakeholders, the finance and business, and the growth and innovation. Across different types of schools and school research activities, these four areas just might differ. After all, there are different goals and objectives to consider here. But just so, these four areas are quite commonly used. Remember the usual scorecard used in the office setting where there would be perspectives or buckets wherein the metrics or KPIs used on the scorecard would be “dropped” or categorized in? These buckets are the four areas on the scorecard used for school research.
With these four buckets at hand, the external stakeholders are actually considered the most important. This perspective or bucket should then be prioritized. The bucket itself pertains to the general public as well as the academe or the community itself. Of course, this would include the students, and naturally, you would want to develop metrics that are appropriate here. It is then important to keep in mind the goals of the whole endeavor that were set beforehand, as well as the strategies that correspond to the accomplishment of these goals. The quantifiable measures commonly used here include persistence and retention, community perception, access, student satisfaction, public relations, and employability.
Keeping these in mind, it is also important to remember the objectives and goals that the school itself wishes to accomplish. The challenge here is in the identification of these goals, in that they would be placed inside the corresponding bucket, so to speak. Two goals need to be remembered when doing this.
The first goal refers to the quality, accessibility of instructional services, development of scope, and accountability of the whole research at play. The second goal, meanwhile, demands for the external stakeholders to fulfill their roles as leaders in both the academic and the cultural sectors. All of this can be done via collaborative activities, and the strengthening of relationships with nonprofit groups, business groups, and the community itself.
With all of these factors in mind, coming up with a school research scorecard is definitely made easier. Remember that no goal can be accomplished unless it is both realistic and practical. This will help you smoothen out the whole process of developing an efficient scorecard for school research.
