Academic
Portfolio
Modeling
Comprehensive Suite of Services

There is no shortage of institutional data in higher education.

What is lacking are models that can help executives to:

  • Optimize efficiency
  • Enhance revenue
  • Ensure a fidelity to the mission and principles of higher education

APM’s approach is to assist institutional leaders
          to do the following:

  • understand the dynamics of cost, revenue, and quality control in
    academic programs,
  • engage in a detailed analysis of these factors,
  • create conceptual and planning models built on these data that
    directly inform the strategic planning process


Our Core Services include:

  • Costing of Programs Models
  • Program Staffing Models
  • Curriculum Design Engineering and Assessment Analysis
  • Academic Portfolio Analysis
  • Strategic Planning Modeling
  • Customized Data Reports


Costing of Programs Models

    APM’s suite of program costing models provide a variety of
    unique perspectives on the role of program costs to revenues in
    setting the direction of the institution. These models are unique
    in their ability to analyze and integrate specific institutional data
    into powerful tools that permits institutional leaders to accurately
    generate cost/revenue ratios for use in strategic decision making.

    Because student academic consumption patterns are variable
    depending upon a variety of factors,  APM takes the “shopping
    cart” approach to analysis. Each student wheels his or her cart
    through the institution, selecting various products that are
    offered. Students consume courses from different departments,
    programs, and divisions, and each course will have its own
    unique cost.

    By analyzing the contents of each student’s shopping cart, APM
    can determine the cost/revenue ratio for that student, as well as
    the cost/revenue ratio for each department as well as each major
    program. This provides a highly detailed profile that is based on
    actual student enrollment, costs and revenue.



Program Staffing Models

    APM consults with programs faculty and administration to
    produce custom designed models that establish course and
    program limits and relate them to institutional practices relating to
    faculty assignments and teaching load.

    By linking class limits, program FTE, and faculty load to student
    academic progress, these models allow for a comprehensive
    understanding of the relationships between enrollment, course
    requirements, and faculty load.

    The resulting tool permits academic managers to maximize
    enrollment and minimize additional instructional costs. It also
    provides a planning tool to establish concrete guidelines for
    instructional staffing levels.


Curriculum Design Engineering and Assessment Analysis

    Curriculum Design Engineering and Analysis (CDEA) is a
    streamlined process that assists members of the academic
    community to easily and efficiently summarize both planned and
    current programs . After a simple process of review and data
    entry,  it is possible to analyze and present this information in a
    way that is both comprehensive and accessible.

    CDEA is a descriptive snapshot of the relation between goals,
    objectives, curricular design, and assessment methods and
    frequencies


          In addition, utilizing costing of programs data, it is possible to
         analyze costs for program delivery and identify areas
         where curricular redesign would help improve efficiency and
         profitability.


    The resulting report is a combination of narrative, quantitative,
    and summative analysis regarding the strengths and weaknesses
    of the institution, its programs and their related courses,
    including graphic representation of integrated data that can
    assist in the continuous study and improvement cycle.


Academic Portfolio Analysis

    Building on the information generated through Cost of Program
    and Program Staffing analyses, APM can provide a
    comprehensive analysis of an institution's academic portfolio to
    assist in vital decisions regarding the investment of precious
    institutional resources. The result is a powerful strategic planning
    tool that empowers leaders to make critically important decisions
    for their institutions.



Strategic Planning Modeling

    APM can create an interactive, easy to use model that gives
    institutional leaders the ability to experiment with a variety of
    possible strategic scenarios and explore the implications for
    staffing, cost, and long and short-term revenue generation.



Customized Data Reports

    For institutions facing the challenge of managing information,
    APM can assist in the development of data collection and
    reporting protocols that will lead to the ability to engage in
    enhanced analysis and planning. For the range of services,
    please see our section on customized data reports.