About News From Information to Action: Meeting Virginia’s Critical Workforce Needs During COVID-19 Apr 28, 2020 From Information to Action: Meeting Virginia’s Critical Workforce Needs During COVID-19 During the most recent Batten Expert Chat, a Batten professor and a graduate of the School’s MPP program shared how they’re using data science to help address the Commonwealth’s shortage in healthcare professionals. As the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the nation, many hospitals are experiencing shortages not just of equipment, but also of healthcare professionals. This past Wednesday, as part of Batten’s weekly expert chat series, a Batten professor and a graduate of the School’s Master of Public Policy (MPP) program discussed how they’re helping to address that shortage in Virginia. Professor Ben Castleman, who also holds an appointment with the Curry School of Education and Human Development, directs the Nudge4 Solutions Lab at the University of Virginia. The lab focuses on data science and nudge theory, which focuses on how people make decisions in the context of complex choices and information. Through partnerships with a range of organizations, Nudge4 uses a combination of “nudges” and hard data to connect people with educational and economic opportunities. Although this might sound difficult to grasp, some of the lab’s methodologies are actually familiar to many of us, Castleman said. In a recent project, for example, Nudge4 partnered with the Virginia Community College System to help increase graduation rates, using data science to identify at-risk students and then send them personalized nudges—prompts that recommend classes and campus resources—to keep those students on track academically. “These are the same methods Netflix uses to recommend shows and movies for you to watch,” Castleman explained. “We’re using those same data-science and machine-learning methods to give students very tailored information and maximize their predicted probability of graduation.” Nudge4 is also using those approaches to address the shortage of healthcare professionals in Virginia. Castleman recently collaborated with Brian Kim—an MPP graduate and a current student at UVA’s Curry School of Education and Human Development—and research faculty member Kelli Bird to design a special tool for state officials. The online “dashboard” the trio created again takes advantage of the extensive data available through the Virginia Community College System: specifically, data on students who both graduated recently and possess the health credentials needed to treat COVID-19 patients, but are either unemployed or working in a different field. An interactive map, the dashboard offers a way to visualize both the level of need for healthcare professionals and the number of potentially available graduates with relevant skills in each locality. Virginia policymakers can select the specialty they’re looking for from a menu on the right, which includes fields like nursing, respiratory therapy, and bereavement counseling. Once they have a better sense of the graduates who might be available, Castleman explained, officials can then reach out to the Virginia Community College System to connect with those graduates and offer “whatever combination of incentives and encouragement” the state might have available and might convince graduates to help. “The idea is to take a lot of dense, descriptive statistics and help policymakers put that information into action,” Kim said. To assist other states that might be interested in using their approach, Castleman and Kim have also included links to their methodology as part of the dashboard, “in hopes that it is as replicable as possible,” said Castleman. The pair has thought carefully about how they can use their particular skills to address the coronavirus crisis. “Ben and I come from an education background: education policy in particular and community colleges in particular,” Kim said. “We don't know enough to give context about which places are hardest hit from an epidemiologic perspective. But what we can do is take these data about community college graduates and ask, ‘How can we use that information in a way that's actually going to support efforts on the ground?’” In addition to aiding policymakers, Nudge4 has also been helping educators adjust to the sudden shift to remote learning, Castleman said. The lab has been sharing “cheat sheets” and offering training sessions for teachers and advisors, which encourage educators to employ nudge strategies such as setting concrete goals, making specific plans, and using reminders. The success of both the dashboard and the education initiatives, Kim suggested, comes in part from the lab’s focus on collaboration. When one chat participant asked how others with data science expertise might help during the current crisis, Kim said he could relate to that question. “There are a lot of people who are trying to help,” he said. “But I think the difference between people who actually are making a difference and the people who are just putting a lot of information out there is the extent to which they're consulting with and working with field experts.” Castleman agreed. “I think we've put a lot of time into building strong relationships with agencies like the Virginia Community College System here in Virginia, but really all over the country,” he said. “We have an opportunity right now to bring data science skills to bear in helping our partners to address COVID crises, whether they're in education or the workforce.” For more information about their work, contact Castleman (blc4q@virginia.edu) and Kim (bhk5fs@virginia.edu). Benjamin Castleman Ben Castleman is an associate professor of public policy and education at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on policies and strategies to improve postsecondary educational and workforce outcomes for individuals from lower-income and historically-marginalized communities. His current work focuses on innovations to increase economic mobility among lower-wage adults, including digital- and health-skills training programs; state-funded career and technical education; and competency-based education models for working adults. Read full bio Related Content Benjamin Castleman Unfinished Business? Academic and Labor Market Profile of Adults With Substantial College Credits But No Degree Research Using data from the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), this case provides the first detailed profile on the academic, employment, and earnings trajectories of the SCND population and how these compare with VCCS graduates. The scholars show that the share of SCND students who are academically ready to re-enroll and would benefit from doing so may be substantially lower than policy makers anticipate. Stacking the Deck for Employment Success: Labor Market Returns to Stackable Credentials Research With rapid technological transformations to the labor market along with COVID-19 related economic disruptions, many working adults return to college to obtain additional training or credentials. Using a comparative individual fixed effects strategy and an administrative panel dataset of enrollment and employment in Virginia, we provide the first causal estimates of credential “stacking” among working adults. Castleman Receives Prestigious Research Award News Congratulations to UVA Batten associate professor Benjamin Castleman who has received the 2024 University Public Impact Focused Research Award for his outstanding scholarship and public service to improve college success and job opportunities for America’s lower-income populations. Peer Mentoring Improves College Success for Lower-Income Students News In a research update brief, Batten Associate Professor Ben Castleman and colleagues show a sustained positive effect of peer mentoring on college persistence for lower-income students. Stay Up To Date with the Latest Batten News and Events Subscribe
Benjamin Castleman Ben Castleman is an associate professor of public policy and education at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on policies and strategies to improve postsecondary educational and workforce outcomes for individuals from lower-income and historically-marginalized communities. His current work focuses on innovations to increase economic mobility among lower-wage adults, including digital- and health-skills training programs; state-funded career and technical education; and competency-based education models for working adults. Read full bio
Unfinished Business? Academic and Labor Market Profile of Adults With Substantial College Credits But No Degree Research Using data from the Virginia Community College System (VCCS), this case provides the first detailed profile on the academic, employment, and earnings trajectories of the SCND population and how these compare with VCCS graduates. The scholars show that the share of SCND students who are academically ready to re-enroll and would benefit from doing so may be substantially lower than policy makers anticipate.
Stacking the Deck for Employment Success: Labor Market Returns to Stackable Credentials Research With rapid technological transformations to the labor market along with COVID-19 related economic disruptions, many working adults return to college to obtain additional training or credentials. Using a comparative individual fixed effects strategy and an administrative panel dataset of enrollment and employment in Virginia, we provide the first causal estimates of credential “stacking” among working adults.
Castleman Receives Prestigious Research Award News Congratulations to UVA Batten associate professor Benjamin Castleman who has received the 2024 University Public Impact Focused Research Award for his outstanding scholarship and public service to improve college success and job opportunities for America’s lower-income populations.
Peer Mentoring Improves College Success for Lower-Income Students News In a research update brief, Batten Associate Professor Ben Castleman and colleagues show a sustained positive effect of peer mentoring on college persistence for lower-income students.