Hybrid Vigor: Infusing IT into IR

Terrence WillettDirector of Planning and Research

Cabrillo CollegeCAIR

San Francisco November 6, 2015

@AsteroidWatch

SQL saved my life>

SQL ruined my life>

Hybridizing

Social Science Researcher

Add database design and SQL programming

Researcher with infusion

of IT

Database Programmer

Add research methods and

operationalization

DBA with infusion of IR

The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology – Raymond Kurzweil

Things I Learned from IT• Meritocracy• Stay current, stay sharp• Project management• Open source ideas v. proprietary knowledge• Everything has already been hacked

Becoming an IR/IT Hybrid

• Pros• Extract custom data on

demand• Improved relationships

with IT• Broader skill set for staff• Broader involvement

with campus operations• Programming is cool

• Cons• Learning curve for

databases and programming skills• Shift of focus from

classic research to reporting and operations• Hybrids are hard to find

and usually must be developed

Countervailing Factors

• IR becoming IE• Institutional Effectiveness focus on accountability with

policies and procedures

• Categorical Funding• Evaluation research more akin to social science research

• Increased programming overhead• .NET framework and other highly complex and

specialized IT skills required for sophisticated reporting

Thank You

Terrence WillettDirector of Planning and ResearchCabrillo Community Collegeterrence@cabrillo.edu