Make It Easy To Find Information And Resources, And To Get Help From The Right Person Or Office At Your Institution.

I’m excited to share my recently published book chapter from Metrics, Mapping, and Modelling for Masterful Management in Higher Education (Emerald Press, 2025) entitled Make It Easy To Find Information And Resources, And To Get Help From The Right Person Or Office.

Chapter 4 focuses on a deceptively simple goal: making institutional information and support easy to find—fast. Because the Sentient Knowledge Map (SKM) can hold a richly detailed model of an institution plus a deep library of shared resources, the chapter shows how to avoid information overload by using practical navigation and filtering strategies. Readers learn multiple search approaches (including quick searches and multi-condition reports), how types and tags add powerful ways to locate and connect related resources, and how reverse lookup can reveal the right people, offices, and supports by starting from a need and working backward through relationships. The chapter also highlights why guided “random exploration” can be an effective learning method in a concept-mapped environment—and how SKM tools help users stay oriented while building real understanding.

Many of the chapters have a companion video which can be viewed for free on the Higher Education Leadership Learning Online Community web site. Visit the site to see the complete list.

If you’re involved in higher-ed leadership, strategy, assessment, or institutional research, I’d love for you to take a look at the chapter and add your comments below. If you would like assistance implementing any of the ideas addressed, please compete a consultation request form – the first hour is free for any institution.