Partnerships Provide Data Analytics Students with Challenges They’ll Face in the Workplace

Rockhurst business students are getting a head start as data scientists by doing everything from assisting sports and entertainment businesses with fan engagement to attempting to measure trust in order to reduce crime in Kansas City.

The projects are all through partnerships between RU’s Master of Science in Data Analytics program and organizations in the local community. Students use the partnerships to open doors for internships and career development.

Classes are led by Emily Dale, Rockhurst University assistant professor and director of Analytics Programs. A data scientist herself, Dale says the partnerships have been “amazing.”

For their Web and Social Media Analytics class, students worked with FanThreeSixty to analyze their mobile application data. FanThreeSixty uses fan data to create actionable insights to help businesses grow. They have professional teams, college programs, leagues, entertainment venues and events among their clients.

Students attempted to answer the following questions: Do ticket buyers use the app? When on gameday are fans most likely to log in? How can teams better utilize these insights to bring in more users?

Each student completed a consulting memo to FanThreeSixty with their project outline, analysis and results.

Caleb Overman, director of Data Science at FanThreeSixty, was intrigued with the results.

“I was impressed with Rebecca Sundquist's presentation,” Overman said. “Her look at Rice University’s social media presence has made me think about ways we could provide some high-level analysis there, and her look at mobile app usage – the growth overlaid with events, and especially weekly seasonality – was worth the entire exercise. I’ve shared her work with our entire executive team as well as the client success rep for Rice.”

FanThreeSixty has used multiple interns from Rockhurst. Overman says they succeed because they have the specific skills his company values.

“Not just the technical skills, but the ability to think about how to use data in a modern business. They’ve been so successful that we’ve had a couple move into full-time positions after their internships. I also think the close ties between Rockhurst and FanThreeSixty help us serve the students by making sure their classes cover exactly the sorts of problems they’ll face in the workplace.”

Another class, Advanced Topics in Analytics: Responsible Data Science, worked with KC Common Good to complete an analysis that provides them insights into how they can reduce crime in Kansas City through social programs.

KC Common Good addresses the root causes of violence to help provide a safe and successful future for individuals in the region.

Example questions included "How can we measure trust [in police, community, etc]?" and "How can we make a long-term, sustainable impact to the crime rates in KC?" The students’ analysis provided KC Common Good with valuable information it can use to help drive social change in KC.

Rockhurst students taking the Performance Metrics & Dashboards class worked with A Place for Mom, an organization that advises individuals trying to find senior living and home care for love ones. They are undergoing a reporting platform change, so the class took on a challenge for their final project: With some background and data, could the students devise a reporting plan, strategic objectives, and create visualizations to help APFM execute this plan?

“The dashboards provided unique and beautiful views into APFM’s data, and provided insight that hadn’t been discovered before,” Dale said. “One group was even able to create a brand new [Key Performance Indicator] that is in use by APFM today!”