When you’re used to working with numbers, patterns, and statistical models, qualitative data can feel a bit slippery. How do you take hundreds of open-text survey responses, interview transcripts, or notes from workshops and turn them into something structured? That’s where inductive coding comes in. What is inductive coding? Inductive coding is a way of…
Ever thought about what a university would look like if it were one big human being? No, not a toga-wearing philosopher, but an actual person with all the quirks and contradictions we know and love. Here’s my take. The quality team? They’re the conscience. The little voice saying, “Are you sure that’s up to standard?”…
GPT-5 vs Previous Models – Performance & Capabilities OpenAI describes GPT-5 as “a significant leap in intelligence” over GPT-4 and GPT-3.5, delivering state-of-the-art results across coding, math, writing, health, vision, and more. It’s faster and smarter than its predecessors, built with an auto-switching “thinking” mode that applies deeper reasoning on complex prompts while responding quickly to simple queries. Notably, GPT-5 was designed to…
For many of us, Microsoft Access was our first taste of building a database. It’s familiar, flexible, and still powering a surprising amount of reporting in higher education and beyond. But times change. As organisations adopt Microsoft 365, Dataverse is becoming the natural home for modern, secure, and scalable data solutions. So how do you…
Artificial intelligence and advanced analytics are transforming the way organisations operate. From automating routine tasks to uncovering new insights, the opportunities are huge. But here’s the catch: AI is only as good as the data that feeds it. That’s why I’ve developed the Data Readiness Checklist for Future Technologies – a simple, practical tool to…
Data doesn’t just describe what’s happening in our institutions. It also shapes it. What we choose to measure – and what we don’t – tells staff and students what really matters. Over time, those choices create culture and direction, even when no one has explicitly set out to do so. Think of it as a…
When working with sensitive datasets in Power BI, it’s common to need more than just a “neat” presentation of numbers. Sometimes you need to apply privacy-preserving techniques—like rounding or suppressing small counts—to protect individuals’ identities while still providing useful aggregated insights. This is especially relevant in higher education, healthcare, and other sectors where data can…
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (on phone screen) speaks with the ChatGPT logo in the background – his company is gearing up to launch GPT-5, the next major AI model. ChatGPT has rapidly transformed from a novel experiment into a daily assistant for millions of users. In late 2022, the original ChatGPT (powered by the GPT-3.5…
When I started working with data in higher education, my tools of choice were Excel and Access. My first real project was back in 2003, fixing a clunky admissions database that someone in the department had cobbled together in Access. Once I got it running more smoothly and set it up to accept data uploads…
There’s a quiet assumption growing in the sector – that faster, more automated data flows mean we need fewer people to manage them. With the Office for Students bringing forward in-year student data returns, the timing of this assumption matters. We’re moving toward a world where data must be cleaner, sooner – and policymakers expect…
