SisuAnalytics – Taking data-driven management to a new level in higher education institutions

Higher education institutions accumulate vast amounts of data on students, teaching and study progress. Data-driven management – making decisions based on up-to-date information – has become an important way to develop and guide higher education operations. The key question is: how can all this information be used effectively to support decision-making?

One solution is SisuAnalytics, developed by Funidata. It is an AI-assisted analytics and reporting solution that utilises data produced by the Sisu study information system. SisuAnalytics bring together information related to student progress, graduation, teaching, and resource utilisation and presents it through clear, visual report views. All of this is available in an easy-to-use format without the need for a separate data warehouse or complex reporting systems.

What is SisuAnalytics and how does it work?

SisuAnalytics is an analytics platform designed specifically for the administrative and management needs of higher education institutions. It integrates directly with the Sisu system and utilises the data it collects throughout the entire study lifecycle, from the application phase to graduation.

The system utilises artificial intelligence: users can ask questions directly in natural language (including Finnish) and receive immediate answers from pre-compiled analyses. There is no need to write SQL queries or wait weeks for reports from the IT department. With SisuAnalytics, for example, a head of education can request a real-time statistical report in a matter of seconds.

Customisable dashboard views provide a real-time overview of the organisation’s situation. At a glance, users can see student progress and graduation rates, the utilisation rate of teaching resources or the scope of the course offerings. Funidata manages service capacity, data uploading and cloud maintenance in the background, allowing staff at higher education institutions to focus on using the data to support decision-making without technical concerns.

Fast, easy and integrated analytics

SisuAnalytics is designed to make the use of data as smooth as possible. Key features include:

• Ease of use: Artificial intelligence and natural language queries lower the barrier to using data. Information is available without specialised technical expertise.
• Speed: Reports and analyses are available in real time without manual report requests.
• Resource efficiency: No separate data warehouses or reporting systems are required, as the service operates as part of the Sisu ecosystem.
• Integration: SisuAnalytics is an add-on module for Sisu that directly utilises data collected by the system and works as an integrated part of the institution's system environment.

SisuAnalytics presents information in a clear visual format. When complex data is transformed into graphs and indicatiors, key insights stand out quickly and support decision-making at different levels of the institution.

A helicopter view of study progress and completion

Higher education institution management needs a fast and reliable overview of the situation. SisuAnalytics provides a “helicopter view” of institutional study data at the organisational level. Key metrics related to students, teaching and course offerings are available within a single system, supporting strategic decision-making and resource allocation.

With SisuAnalytics, management and planners gain a real-time view of teaching implementation, student numbers, workload and student progress. If graduation rates begin to decline or students accumulate credits more slowly than before, the change becomes visible in reports quickly. This enables institutions to respond to potential issues in time.

Management no longer has to guess where potential problems lie – information on deviations and development trends is immediately visible through clear metrics.

Identifying trends and detecting bottlenecks

Simply reporting on the current situation is no longer sufficient. Higher education institutions also need tools to anticipate future developments. SisuAnalytics brings a predictive perspective to analytics: AI-based features help identify trends and potential challenges in the data.

One example is the identification bottlenecks in studies. Based on the data, SisuAnalytics can reveal if a particular course becomes an obstacle to graduation for many students, for example due to a high dropout or failure rate. When such bottlenecks are detected early, institutions can target actions to address them, such as providing additional support or developing the course implementation.

Up-to-date reports strengthen strategic planning and help direct resources where they are most needed.

Information to support decisions – both practically and strategically

SisuAnalytics serves a wide range of higher education professionals, from the rectorate and administrative management to education managers, study administration planners, quality managers, developers, and analysts. An up-to-date view of key indicators improves the quality and transparency of decision-making across the organisation.

When information is easily accessible, a shared situational emerges throughout the organisation. At the same time, manual data collection and report preparation decrease, leaving experts with more time to interpret results and develop operations based on them.

The reliable and up-to-date data produced by SisuAnalytics strengthens confidence in decision-making. The impact of development measures can be monitored and measured, supporting the continuous development of the institution and nabling a smoother study path for students.

Towards a data-driven university culture

SisuAnalytics takes data-driven management in universities to a new level. It brings together study data and provides modern tools to analyse it, from individual course reports to forecasts and strategic indicators. The result is more effective decision-making, improved foresight and less manual reporting work.

SisuAnalytics also encourages curiosity within organisations by revealing new insights from data. When users see what data-driven analysis can uncover, they become increasingly motivated to explore it further.

Most importantly, the benefits of SisuAnalytics ultimately extend to students. When decisions are based on up-to-date information and processes become more efficient, higher education institutions can develop smoother study paths and better support students in progressing towards graduation.