How do I get my data files ready for a Rapid Cycle Evaluation (RCE)?

As a LearnPlatform administrator, you have done a lot of hard work to prepare for a Rapid Cycle Evaluation (RCE). You have formulated research goals, requested data, and so on. The next step is to prepare your data files for RCE.

The LearnPlatform Research Team will clean and merge your data once you have shared all the necessary components and we have confirmed them as usable. Depending on the complexity and amount of data, this process can take multiple hours for a standard dataset. Due to rigorous processes and high demand, we typically require a two-week window to prepare the data for an RCE. You are always welcome to prepare the data yourself, but most customers prefer that we handle this step.

For an overview of the data collection process, watch the Rapid-cycle Evaluation Data Collection 101 Video on YouTube.

Gather CSV Files

Data for RCE work should be available in a comma-separated values (CSV) file.

  • The first row in the spreadsheet should contain labels (or headers) that identify all variables in the dataset (e.g., student ID, gender, school).
  • Each subsequent row should contain data for individual participants (e.g., a student or a school). Thus, each column will start with the header that identifies the variable, followed by the data that correspond to its respective row in the cells that follow.

For more information, refer to our guide about the data files required for a Rapid Cycle Evaluation (RCE).

Get Additional Help

During the planning phase of your RCE, your RCE Manager will provide documentation of product resources and, when available, sample datasets to help you locate and export the data you need. Alternatively, you may need to contact your provider representative to request the data files if they are not readily available within the product platform.

If you would like assistance in preparing your data, please contact the Support Team at [email protected].