It's estimated more than 1,000 people walked through the doors of St. Clair to check out the College's program offerings during the Fall Open House in early November.
And while it's a high-level barometer for general interest in the College, the Data Analytics Club at St. Clair wanted to dig a little deeper.
Their work began long before the Open House, with the Club meeting regularly ahead of time to discuss survey questions and to create a data dashboard to track their work.
The Club, which consists of about 15 students enrolled in the Data Analytics program, then attended the Open House and interviewed hundreds of prospective students, collecting survey responses in real-time.
"This data is dynamically fed into a live dashboard, allowing for immediate visualization of insights," said John Ulakovich, a professor and coordinator of the Data for Business Analytics program at St. Clair College. "After the event, the collected data is used to create a detailed report for the College's marketing department and administration."
According to the data collected, the vast majority of attendees were high-school students, who shared in which program they were most interested, and from where they live.
Some of the questions also asked respondents about the convenience of the timing, date, and duration of the Open House, and how they learned about the event.
While the data is only shared internally, these reflections on the event help guide improvements for future iterations of the annual Fall Open House.
An undertaking like this is right in the students' wheelhouse because it gives them an opportunity to apply what they're learning in school in the real world, Ulakovich said.
"They gain practical skills in survey design, data collection, and dashboard creation. The event also fosters teamwork and collaboration, allowing students to work together to achieve shared goals," said Ulakovich. "Additionally, students have the opportunity to build connections with prospective students and the College community while learning about ethical data collection practices."
This experience prepares students for future professional roles by combining technical and interpersonal skills, aligning with the program's focus on data analytics, business applications, and real-world problem-solving.
Emmanuel Ifeanyi Chukwuma is the Data Club secretary and said the experiential learning opportunity was one he and his classmates didn't want to miss.
"The experience of going around collecting data was very wonderful," he said. "Interacting with parents and future students was fun and was an opportunity to step outside my comfort zone to meet new people."
"I'm really proud of the work St. Clair staff and students put in during Open House. The event was so smooth and well planned," Chukwuma said.
