NYU Faculty Promotion: Data Analysis & Visualization Drives $15K Raise

End-to-end data analytics & consulting for a high-stakes academic promotion

Overview

As a freelance Data Analyst, I was hired by an NYU instructor preparing her promotion application. My mission: transform six years of fragmented student evaluation data into actionable insights and presentation-ready visuals. Through deep data cleaning, exploratory analytics, and a collaborative, results-driven approach, my work empowered the client to clearly demonstrate her teaching impact—and directly contributed to a successful promotion and a $15,000/year salary increase.

Client Challenge

The client brought me raw Excel files spanning 2018–2024, containing student ratings for multiple courses and teaching categories. The datasets had considerable missing values and inconsistencies, especially in response rates and category totals. The key challenge was to distill this noisy data into clear, convincing graphics and tables that would fit within a strict two-page limit for a faculty promotion review board—showcasing excellence and progress, even in challenging years.

How I Delivered Results

Advanced Data Cleaning: The original data required significant wrangling—many fields were missing or incomplete, with student ratings not always adding up to 100%. I applied robust data cleaning techniques, managed null values, and engineered logical assumptions (e.g., treating missing responses as “no response”) to standardize the dataset, ensuring all downstream analytics were reliable.
Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA): Using EDA and statistical summaries, I identified which courses, terms, and teaching dimensions were most favorable. By calculating weighted means, analyzing year-over-year progress, and mapping outliers, I found the most compelling story to tell the review board.
Stakeholder Collaboration: I held regular check-ins to clarify objectives, define “success” (75%+ in “Excellent/Very Good”), and iterate on visual design. My consultative style ensured the client’s unique achievements stood out—while I proactively managed data limitations and communicated the “why” behind each visual choice.
Excel Power Tools: Leveraging advanced Excel (Pivot Tables, dynamic charts, error bars), I delivered both high-level overviews and detailed breakdowns. My charts were fully editable, enabling the client to fine-tune colors and styles for her application.

Key Analytics Insights

Term-by-Term Performance: This chart reveals how teaching effectiveness fluctuated across semesters, pinpointing specific terms where ratings approached “Excellent.” The use of error bars highlighted both strong achievements and the consistency of results—helping the promotion committee appreciate positive trends, even when the data was variable.

Yearly Student Evaluations: This annual summary captures overall satisfaction for each academic year. It allowed stakeholders to quickly identify years of strongest performance and to see the trajectory of student perception—reinforcing a story of ongoing professional growth and adaptability.

Course-by-Course Analysis: By benchmarking mean ratings for all major courses, this visual made it easy to highlight the client’s best classes—spanning both undergraduate and graduate levels. It visually reinforced the breadth of her teaching skills and her ability to excel in diverse academic environments.

Overall assessment of instructor by year

Overall Teaching Impact: This targeted chart isolates the critical “overall assessment of instructor” question, making it easy to identify best-performing years at a glance. Strong performance here was key to demonstrating readiness for promotion.

Strengths by Teaching Dimension: This breakdown shows which aspects of instruction—like “Facilitation of learning” and “Respect and concern for students”—stood out most in student evaluations. These insights helped the client spotlight the true value she delivered beyond simple scores.

Average score by question asked 2018–2024

Longitudinal Survey Insights: This grouped bar chart explores how specific evaluation criteria evolved over time, surfacing both strengths and areas of improvement. It served as proof of sustained commitment to teaching excellence and continuous progress.

Impact & Outcome: My analytics and data storytelling directly empowered the client to secure her NYU promotion and a $15,000 annual salary raise. This project is a prime example of my ability to transform complex, messy datasets into actionable, real-world results that drive executive decisions.

Note on Confidentiality:
To respect client privacy and intellectual property, only selected sample charts are shown here; the final full dashboard and report are not public.

If you’re seeking a results-focused analyst who can convert your data into strategic business impact, let’s connect.