Often, the factors leading to a decrease in online engagement are outside of the case manager's control.  For example, students may suddenly start to be pulled from iMentor sessions by other teachers at the school to address credit deficiency or test preparation.  While this is likely not done with malicious intent, it does have an impact on mentees' ability to consistently engage with their mentor.  

Using data to support conversations with school administrators can help contextualize the impact of these challenges and may motivate them to work with iMentor on a mutually beneficial solution.

Use Visualizations to Support Data Driven Conversations

In the example below, a notable dip in engagement can be observed beginning on March 27th.  

This dip follows a positive trend that was returning the cohort closer to its average level of engagement.  Things seemed to be taking a turn for the better and then something happened.  For the purposes of this example, we will assume that dip coincided with a schedule change at the school that prohibited a group of mentees from attending weekly iMentor sessions.

This visualization alone may not make the most compelling case.  However, with a quick click, another Tableau dashboard (Mentees and Mentors) helps paint a more vivid picture:

Let's zoom in on that the time frame that we saw the dip in pair online commuincation on the Case Managers dashboard:

This visualization shows the the drop is being led by a decrease in mentee engagement.  The story can be made more compelling by toggling through the classes - maybe even live with the school administrator.  If you had to guess, which classes were affected by this schedule change?

Classes 1 and 3, and most significantly in class 3, right?  Class 3 shows a drop of 27%, following a 15% increase - an exaggerated version of the trend observed on the cohort level.

This is just one example of how a challenge can be visualized using Tableau to tell a compelling story.

Feel free to reach out to [email protected] with any questions or requests for support in leveraging this strategy in your work!

Have you tried this strategy or deployed a similar effort? If so, please consider leaving a comment below outlining your experience!