Welcome back to an all new season of My Career in Data – a DATAVERSITY Talks podcast where we sit down with professionals to discuss how they have built their careers around data.

This episode we speak with Susan Ray, Associate Professor of English, Delaware County Community College. She never imagined she'd become invested in data as an English professor specializing in Victorian literature, but her crash course came when developing an accelerated learning program. There, data shaped everything from student placement to school funding decisions. When AI-generated essays flooded her classroom, she refused to be like her undergraduate instructors from the past who resisted technology. Instead, she surveyed 100 students and discovered some surprising information that led her to "Bridging the AI Gap" where she tracks retention and grades while learning crucial lessons about data credibility from institutional research experts. Listen to her journey in proving that someone in the humanities can lead data-driven change by staying transparent about what she doesn't know while keeping students' needs and authentic human voices central.

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Learn more about DCCC.

Connect with Susan Ray on LinkedIn.

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