FICAvis: Data Visualization to Prevent University Dropout

The FICA project - Tools for Identifying and Combating Dropout - started at the University of Aveiro in 2015 with the aim to help reduce and prevent dropouts and increase academic success among university students. Within the project a signicant amount of data is provided to different University stakeholders to monitor academic issues, however, these data are currently provided in large tables, a format difficult to analyze. In this paper, we present the main aspects of the data, the users and contexts of use. We also propose an approach to allow the visual and interactive exploration of the FICA project data to help monitor the path of the students and identify risk indicators and failure factors that can lead to critical situations such as dropout. A solution developed using the participatory design methodology is presented, detailing all stages of its creation process, from the requirements elicitation based on focus groups and interviews, design and prototype development in Power BI to its evaluation. Some suggestions for future work are also presented.