APT Helps Byte Back Drive Student Success, Accessibility, and Efficiencies with Data-Driven Insights
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) July 26, 2016 -- Applied Predictive Technologies (APT) announced today the results of its most recent data dive partnership with Byte Back, an organization that improves economic opportunity by providing computer training and career preparation to underserved Washington, D.C. residents. Three teams of six to twelve APT employees conducted analysis to identify the factors that lead to student success and to determine where Byte Back should locate its classrooms in order to optimize student access to its program. The teams presented their findings to various members of the Byte Back leadership team at a session held at APT’s headquarters in Arlington, VA this week.
APT’s data dives present a chance for employees to lend their analytical and engineering skills to social enterprise work. In each data dive, APT partners with a local nonprofit organization with the mission of helping them make better data-driven decisions. After weeks of data preparation in conjunction with the partnering organization, teams of APT employees analyze several key initiatives. Previous data dives have included those with Goodwill of Greater Washington, DC Prep, Capital Area Foodbank, and AppleTree Institute.
During the most recent data dive with Byte Back, the APT teams started with a unique and rich data source. The robust data set helped them answer three core questions to help Byte Back effectively plan for its upcoming year:
1) Resource Allocation: How can Byte Back allocate its limited resources to maximize the number of its students that obtain employment?
First, APT was able to identify common characteristics among students who were unlikely to complete and/or pass a class, including factors such as course level and whether or not students were seeking a job upon completion of the program. By doing so, the APT team pinpointed at-risk students and class levels on which Byte Back should focus its resources. By allocating more resources like additional tutoring and intervention to those identified by these findings Byte Back will be able to drive the greatest impact on student success.
2) Student Retention and Success: What student and program characteristics contribute to student success?
In this analysis the APT team was able to predict student outcomes (e.g., re-enrollment, drop-out, employment, etc.) based on various student characteristics including housing status, gender, and age. The team discovered that employed students are more likely to complete their courses, while students with higher education experience prior to enrollment pose a higher risk of attrition. Further, for a subset of classes, students were less likely to pass if they enrolled multiple times in the same course. These findings will enable Byte Back to better inform student course placement and intervention support to further ensure student success.
3) Classroom Location: Where should Byte Back locate its classes?
The APT team also tackled another important challenge for Byte Back: identifying the class locations within the community that both align with the organization’s mission and are located in accessible areas for their student demographic. By analyzing the performance of 40 of Byte Back’s historical classroom locations, the team was able to predict expected enrollment from 99 potential new classroom sites in the D.C. area. Combining this predicted performance with other important factors like metro accessibility and demographics of the area, the team identified the top ten locations for the organization to consider for future classes. In addition, the team built custom map software for Byte Back to leverage on an ongoing basis to facilitate easy and effective location planning.
Elizabeth Lindsey, Executive Director of Byte Back, commented on the project with APT, "We will utilize every single one of these findings in making our program better and influencing our students' lives. Byte Back is so grateful to the APT teams for their enthusiasm and generosity in helping us pursue data-driven excellence."
Anthony Bruce, APT CEO, added “At APT we are committed to generating data-driven value not only for our clients, but also for nonprofit organizations within our community. We are thrilled to have partnered with Byte Back and are confident that these findings will further their mission of improving the economic opportunity for individuals in the District.”
About Byte Back, Inc.
Byte Back improves economic opportunity by providing computer training and career preparation to underserved Washington, D.C. residents. Since 1997, Byte Back graduates have gained invaluable skills, experienced higher rates of self-confidence, and launched successful new careers. Our program is a long-term solution for many in the District who struggle with underemployment, unemployment, and poverty.
About APT
APT, a MasterCard Company, is a leading cloud-based analytics software company that enables organizations to rapidly and precisely measure cause-and-effect relationships between business initiatives and outcomes to generate economic value. Our intuitive and proprietary Test & Learn® software utilizes sophisticated algorithms to analyze large amounts of data, enabling business leaders to conduct experiments and allowing them to make optimal decisions and implement business initiatives at scale. APT also offers products that support decision-making for specific business needs including transaction analysis, space planning, promotion design, category management and location selection. APT’s client portfolio features some of the world’s best known brands, including Walmart, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Victoria’s Secret, American Family, Hilton Worldwide, SUBWAY, TD Bank, T-Mobile, and others. APT has offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, London, Bentonville, Taipei, Tokyo, Sydney, and Chicago. Visit http://www.predictivetechnologies.com to learn more.
Cathy Baker, Applied Predictive Technologies, http://www.predictivetechnologies.com, +1 703.875.7748, [email protected]
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