Hi everyone. welcome to Week 6 of Opportunity Forecast! Our OER is on Big Data and Learning Analytics.
We are interested in this topic because big data and learning analytics are revolutionizing education. It works by harnessing vast amounts of student data to enhance learning outcomes. By analyzing patterns and trends in student performance, educators gain insights into individual needs, enabling personalized learning experiences. Moreover, big data can help institutions make informed decisions about curriculum development, resource allocation, and policy formulation. It is paving the way for a more efficient, effective, and equitable education system.
Visit our OER here: Opportunity Forecast – Big Data and Learning Analytics.
Here is how to maximize your experience on our OER:
- Before you start exploring, please complete Activity #1. You can either access the activity from our home page, or from here. Please note that this quiz is not to gather any “correct” answer from you, but a way for you to experience and visualize data collection.
- Explore our site at your preferred pace. Our site consist of
- Introduction of Big Data and Analytics (use the drop down to explore more content)
- Market Analysis (use the drop down to explore more content)
- More activities
- Future Opportunities of Big Data and Learning Analytics
- After reviewing our assessment of the Big Data and Learning Analytics topic in education, especially as it relates to the tools we currently have at hand, we would like to ask you to reflect and comment on the following questions (this could be but is not limited to teaching and learning). Please share your thoughts directly below in the comment section.
- Can you think of an example in your career when having access to a large dataset and being able to filter or manipulate that dataset in order to analyze it helped you in a decision-making process?
- Can you think of an example in your career when you wished you had access to or the ability through technology to analyze a large dataset in such a way that would have helped guide your decision-making process in a more data driven manner.
- Is there a function of big data and learning analytics technology that is lacking in your workplace? What in your opinion is a current problem that could be solved with data management and/or learning analytics technology in the near term horizon?
Have fun!
Jennie, Samantha and Richard
Thank you Jennie, Samantha and Richard for your work, as for your discussion questions I chose to answer the question on where I think it could be used in my workplace
Is there a function of big data and learning analytics technology that is lacking in your workplace? What in your opinion is a current problem that could be solved with data management and/or learning analytics technology in the near term horizon?
In my workplace I would say there’s a need for better data management and analytics capabilities. One current problem is the fragmentation of data across various systems and departments. This lack of integration and centralization makes it difficult to analyze data and information share. Implementing a centralized data management system that integrates information from many different areas would increase efficiency and ensure all information is up to date and the same for all members. The use of advanced analytic techniques and predictive models through AI would also make the process more efficient could enhance proactive strategies, resource allocation, and prevention efforts.
Hi Meagan, thank you for reading our OER and thank you for your experience. I can see how de-centralized data management could be a real problem. I experience it at work as well, where it can lead to data inconsistency when multiple areas are gathering the same data without communication. It can also lead to increased cost and security risks. Without a centralized data management system also tells me there might be lack of data governance. I think with more and more data being collected everywhere, it is crucial for companies and institutions to “understand” the data being collected, and understand the analytics needed to make the data useful. This might help them make better decisions on data management.
Great work Week 6 team! I’ll say a quick thing regarding the question about wishing to have had access to a large data set:
“Can you think of an example in your career when you wished you had access to or the ability through technology to analyze a large dataset in such a way that would have helped guide your decision-making process in a more data driven manner?”
This is something I have never considered previously, but I became interested in this concept while watching the video you linked titled “Big Data: Shaping the Future of Education.” The fellow in the video talks about “Microlevel Big Data” used in education that can give the educator insight into the relationship between performance and complex cognitive skills, tendencies to procrastinate, noncognitive constructs such as engagement, and more. Having a dataset of past students and their interactions with course content would be VERY valuable to have. To be able to see connections between learning resources and the learning outcomes of students in a precise, calculated fashion could definitely provide assistance when it comes to the decision-making process of using said learning resources in the future or realizing that they don’t meet the expectations.
Hi Nik, thank you for reading our OER and thank you for sharing your thoughts. I completely agree with you. I also work in education, and I often wish I had access to different types of mass student data so that analysis can be done to improve educational experiences in all student experience aspects. I sometimes wish we can mitigate the challenges on student data collection, concerns around data privacy and ethical considerations. Furthermore, I wish we can have full understanding on analytics techniques and expertise from educational perspectives. This will make interpreting and making actionable insights from the data easier and purposeful.
Hi Nik and Jennie,
I also found the video interesting and I would love to have such usable data available. However, I worry that this creeping increase of data usage may go too far if left unchecked. On one hand, I wholeheartedly agree with Nik’s point that this data could be use to assess the effectiveness of course content. That could then be used to improve content delivery to make a more effective course leading to greater student success.
On the other hand, I can see this going poorly if the data ends up stigmatizing students instead of supporting them. There’s a danger that labels derived from this data, like “procrastinator” or “low cognitive ability” become truth by teachers expecting and accepting certain results. Students can also internalize labels, believe them to be true, and stop striving because they don’t see themselves as capable. Also, Complex data about human learning cannot simply be boiled down to labels. Each student operates within a unique context – socioeconomic circumstances, individual stressors, personal learning styles – and these factors all contribute to their performance. Data insights cannot replace empathetic human understanding. I hope this doesn’t become common, but overly focusing on measurable data can potentially reduce a complex, multifaceted student into a set of metrics.
I hope as this technology progresses, developers realize it is essential to create a framework where this kind of data is used carefully and responsibly. We must find a balance between harnessing its potential for good and recognizing its limitations to avoid the negative effects of unchecked data-driven labeling in education.
Hi Braden, thank you for reading our OER and thank you for your thoughts. You’ve raised some incredibly valid concerns about the potential pitfalls of using big data in education. Human learning is incredibly complex and multifaceted, influenced by a myriad of factors including socioeconomic background, personal circumstances, and individual learning styles. Attempting to reduce this complexity to simplistic labels or metrics overlooks the nuanced reality of each student’s unique context and experiences. While data can provide valuable insights, it should never replace the compassionate understanding and support that educators provide to their students. This is why it is very important to understand the data being collected, understand teaching and learning needs, and analyze data with purpose. It’s vital that we strike a balance between leveraging the potential benefits of data-driven approaches and recognizing their inherent limitations.
Hi Nik,
Thank you for your response. I agrees with the amazing (ensuring ethics) information we can discover about learning outcomes and performances with large data sets. Personally, my initial degree was in psychology (I switched initially to education for work). I think because of that background I on multiple occasions asked myself, “I wonder how many people…” or “what is the differences of perspectives based on…” Ultimately, there have been many times that I have wished for the numbers on certain topics. Taking that information and making improvements in education can create inclusivity and diversity in learning.
Braden, I appreciate your point on individual differences and the complex human condition that needs to be considered when using big data and generative AI. Quality control and oversight is so key, you are definitely right.
Hi Team,
Thank you for your work on this OER. It’s a truly fascinating subject. I’ve taken ETEC 543, “Understanding Learning Analytics,” and that course really deepens your appreciation for the power of data not only in learning but in decision-making more broadly. The impact can be profound. If you’ve enjoyed exploring this topic, I would highly recommend taking it!
I was particularly impressed by the video where we heard from a staff member at an Indiana college about their ability to predict with 83% confidence which students will underperform just 11 days into a course. Without delving further into that, I’m curious about the platform they’re using. They mentioned using their own proprietary AI, which is quite intriguing.
I often think there’s a significant missed opportunity with the MyEd system here in BC. I use the gradebook function for all my assignments and student classwork. In my experience, most teachers don’t utilize the Gradebook in MyEd. Given that teachers of the same grade level and subject likely have similar assessment styles and assignments, this could provide a robust data set for training a predictive model. If all teachers used MyEd to capture assessment data, perhaps even linking it to student IDs and logins for Google Classroom or whichever LMS, all that data could be centrally collected in MyEd along with demographic information. Since it’s used year over year, it would be fantastic to have a visual snapshot of a student’s past performance on certain units, Big Ideas, etc., from previous years to develop more personalized learning opportunities.
Is there a function of big data and learning analytics technology that is lacking in your workplace? What, in your opinion, is a current problem that could be solved with data management and/or learning analytics technology in the near term?
My earlier paragraph alludes to my belief that better collection and sharing of student data among teachers and schools throughout a student’s learning journey could provide valuable insights. I think the technology exists; we just need programmers and buy-in from administrators and the Ministry of Education. Acceptance of such systems seems to be growing, so it’ll be interesting to see where this leads.
I have numerous rhetorical questions on this topic, shared here to spark thought rather than elicit responses. Specifically, I was hoping to see more examples of perceived venture opportunities with Big Data. It was interesting to review market forecasts and the grid of LMSs, but who is leading in providing Big Data analysis as a service? Are there companies offering sleek data dashboards? What innovations have LMSs like Canvas and D2L integrated into their platforms that signal growth in analytics, and who designed those features? Have you considered sources of data generation, such as wearable technology or audio/video capture, as sources of learner data? Biometric and behavioral data could be collected alongside LMS data like time on a page or mouse clicks, as well as demographic and assessment data. Are there companies offering learning data analytics as services to educational institutions? Is there evidence of current demand for aspects of data analytics that are unmet due to a lack of technology, programmers, or organization and collection of training data?
Anyway, I digress. This is a vast topic and one of great importance, in my opinion. I anticipate we will see some fascinating advances in the coming years, especially in predictive analytics, machine learning, and AI. Here’s an interesting article about how Target used data analytics to predict pregnancies and determine the purchasing habits of those expecting.
https://www.driveresearch.com/market-research-company-blog/how-target-used-data-analytics-to-predict-pregnancies/
Hi Bradley,
Thank you for reading our OER and sharing your thought. Indeed, better collection and sharing of student data among teachers and schools could provide valuable insights to personalize learning experiences. With advancements in technology, such as predictive analytics and machine learning, there’s immense potential to leverage data management and learning analytics to address current challenges in education.
Your rhetorical questions raise important considerations about the current landscape of big data analysis in education. Those are great topics we could investigate further into. Thank you again!
1. Can you think of an example in your career when having access to a large dataset and being able to filter or manipulate that dataset in order to analyze it helped you in a decision-making process?
In my workplace, as a music teacher, there are times when I deal with a lot of repertoire. For the past few years (up until this year), I was the director of the primary choir in my school district. I would direct a choir of students from many schools in my area. As a result of this, I was also the caretaker of choir library for this group. This is a library of songs that has been built up over many years, and has seen contributions from many music teachers, myself included. By the time this library finally came into my care, it was MASSIVE! It would have been nice to have every piece categorized, or as the terms here put it. “filtered”. Instead of this, I would be forced to go from song to song to song, trying to distinguish length, vocal range, difficulty level, theme, and so many other elements. To have had these pieces put into a dataset that would allow to me to manipulate and find a piece that would fit exactly what I’m looking for would be a huge time saver, and possibly allow me more time to focus on other elements of the job. In fact, as I’m typing, I’m thinking of another element that would add to this: what if I could HEAR each song from the dataset as well? This way, I could make an extreme informed decision, and with the time I’m saving, I might even be able to expose myself (and my ensemble) to other pieces, thereby enhancing their knowledge and experience of the work we’re doing.
Hi Adam, thank you for reading our OER and providing your thoughts! This sounds like somewhat of a nightmare. Does the choir or school district have extra funding for some investment into software for your job? For example, the Music Library Organizer Pro appears to be of help in your situation (https://www.primasoft.com/pro_software/music_library_software_pro.htm#:~:text=Music%20Library%20Organizer%20Pro%3A%20is,college%20or%20university%20library%2C..). I am not sure if it will be helpful, but it would be nice to have some software support for the kind of data you are trying to categorize and analyze!
Hey team! Good job on this OER! I choose to answer question three.
3. Is there a function of big data and learning analytics technology that is lacking in your workplace? What in your opinion is a current problem that could be solved with data management and/or learning analytics technology in the near term horizon?
I’m on my school’s staff committee and the current problem of “student wanderers” tends to be a recurring theme in our meetings. Every time we bring this topic up, it’s always about trying to find a solution other than just saying to teachers, “don’t let anyone out.” What I would like to see is a way to analyze the data that is related to student wanderers. Looking at your “What is the purpose?” page really stuck out to me to answer this question especially student retention. At my school, there are teachers that use a QR Code for students to sign in and out while other teachers use a clip board. Furthermore, there are teachers that use the honor system. At this time, there are inconsistencies amongst the staff to tackle this issue. Again, relating it to the question, I would like to see if there is a unified way or method to gather and analyze the data to help students with their retention and gradually remove the problem of student wanderers.
Thanks again!
Jeremiah
Hi Jeremiah,
Thank you for reading our OER and sharing your thoughts! I think you addressed two important points of big data in education. First, data collection could help students and teachers in the event that traditional classroom cannot support. However, data collection should be purposeful. We need to understand what is the purpose of collecting student data, what we are trying to achieve, and how can we help students with the result. In the case of student wanderers, if we can come up with a concrete way to help the students by gathering some qualitative data, this will eliminate the repetitive meetings. Secondly, data collection and analysis, including school processes, should really be centralized instead of left as responsibilities of each educator or unit. Institutions should really understand this to achieve big steps forward with data and learning analytics.
Can you think of an example in your career when having access to a large dataset and being able to filter or manipulate that dataset in order to analyze it helped you in a decision-making process?
– There have been tools that I have used in the classroom that have been adapted and updated to match the needs of students and teachers because of the data they collected on national levels so yes.
Can you think of an example in your career when you wished you had access to or the ability through technology to analyze a large dataset in such a way that would have helped guide your decision-making process in a more data driven manner.
– I cannot think of an example where I wished that I had access to this but I do know that I wish people in positions who could have made large structural changes to our school would have looked into the data for what works and what doesn’t work and then allow teachers the space to work within those parameters to affect change on a smaller level.
Is there a function of big data and learning analytics technology that is lacking in your workplace? What in your opinion is a current problem that could be solved with data management and/or learning analytics technology in the near term horizon?
– I think some areas of the school could be made to function more seamlessly and easily without so many barriers in the way. For example, our LMS system for attendance and grades and such. If we could look at large data sets for what works and elements that have improved over the years we could make teacher and administrator lives much easier.
I appreciated you points that you made. Sometimes you do not know what you don’t know. I did not really know much about big data, deep learning, and machine learning. I heard the terms tossed around a lot, and I could make pretty generic assumptions about what they meant. It was eye opening when I went to a conference recently about simulators and their use of big data that I started to get an initial understanding (still very basic level). As I was there, they were bringing up amazing examples of how to use these tools within learning environments. As I went through, I started thinking about the ways that my job could implement these changes. However, I never would have thought of it on my own. I think that is the problem with many tools out there, there are so many ways we can streamline and improve processes, but it is still relatively new and very complex (some of the ideas). As well, the expertise is still pretty limited. I also agree that these types of changes happen well-above my head at my current organization – the projects are expensive and time consuming. Thanks for your post.
Hello Jennie, Samantha, and Richard,
Thank you for your OER on Big Data and Learning Analytics. As I was going through your work, I considered the following question: Is there a function of big data and learning analytics technology that is lacking in your workplace? What in your opinion is a current problem that could be solved with data management and/or learning analytics technology in the near-term horizon?
In my opinion there is a lack of information sharing between post-secondary institutions. While dental hygiene programs throughout British Columbia collaborate regularly, there seems to be a lack of sharing learning analytics, namely the gathering, analyzing, and evaluating data about learners and their context. I believe sharing learning analytics between institutions would help improve teaching and learning. Valuable knowledge in one dental hygiene program can greatly benefit a dental hygiene program at another institution because of the many similarities they share – same course content, same regulatory body, and, often, similar type of student population. The institutions can learn from each other about what works and what doesn’t work for today’s dental hygiene students. Healthcare programs such as dental hygiene is constantly evolving with ongoing advancements in the field. Learning analytics can allow multiple dental hygiene programs to benefit from information sharing about how to implement changes and stay current in the field.
Emma
Emma, thanks so much for your post.
Your post got me on a little bit of a tangent, I am pretty into true crime right now. I remember hearing about police databases that contain case information in the States. The problem was that the different police departments were not sharing their information, which meant that if somebody committed a crime in another state, the police departments could not track because they were not sharing information. I never connected that problem (which I found interesting) explicitly to this big data and analytics topic. So, thanks.
As well, I think that you make a really great point about interdepartmental/inter-institutional communication. I can see the benefit of sharing information for any subject in order to maximize quality and encourage proper maintenance.
Thanks for your reply
Sam
Hello, Jennie, Samantha, and Richard
I want to begin by saying this was a wonderful OER you made. I like how you explained what Big data and Learning Analytics are for a beginner’s level for those maybe not even in 522, and went into depth and included future possibilities for this. As I used to do solely programming and did a lot with SQL, thinking about the massive amount of data in tables, fields, and records that also needed to be not just analyzed for a specific field but for correlations between those fields and records, or even between different databases and in the hundreds of thousands a good perspective for me with Activity 1.
I want to answer this question you gave:
Can you think of an example in your career when having access to a large dataset and being able to filter or manipulate that dataset in order to analyze it helped you in a decision-making process?
There’s an online reading service I use with my students that I also use with the school library. The student records are maybe around a thousand, and I feel it doesn’t meet a large data set. However, the books offered, particularly with the information stored, are in the hundreds of thousands. I help plan a new book to read in it roughly each week. To filter that data and find the right book I first look at what reading level the students were at, then I do an advanced search to see which books were at that level and also chose something that relates to a holiday that is close or the unit’s theme for that grade. I also sometimes include another search term for something the students may have liked more or less.
Hi Daniel, thank you for reading our OER and providing your thoughts. Your experience highlights the value of using data-driven insights to make informed decisions, even in contexts where the dataset may not be conventionally large. I can see this targeted approach enhances learning outcomes by aligning content with curriculum objectives and student engagement levels.
Thank you for your incredibly detailed OER!
Can you think of an example in your career when you wished you had access to or the ability through technology to analyze a large dataset in such a way that would have helped guide your decision-making process in a more data-driven manner?
Thinking about this question, I find myself considering responses in both teaching and administrating. As a teacher, I often find myself wanting data to verify if my pedagogy is most effective, or if I should be seeking alternatives. Particularly as I teach AP World History, and I know that my students are moving towards writing the exam in May, I always desire more data. Some of this data does indeed come once results are in during the summer, and I seek to adapt for the upcoming school year when I see our results compared to students throughout the year. Throughout the school year, the MyAP website does allow me to gather small-scale data on my students, but I’d love to be able to access real-time big data on an international level.
Hi Steve, thank you for reading our OER and sharing your thoughts. I agree with you, access to international big data from a global pool of students taking similar exams would offer a comprehensive perspective on teaching methods, learning trends and even curriculum effectiveness. Analyzing such data could help educators like yourself identify patterns and areas for improvement, enabling evidence-based decision-making to enhance teaching methods and student success.
Q:
2. Can you think of an example in your career when you wished you had access to or the ability through technology to analyze a large dataset in such a way that would have helped guide your decision-making process in a more data driven manner.
A:
I would appreciate the large-scale analysis of all the writing and reading data across grade/age levels to better understand where students are, where they need to go, and how they can get there. Current special education testing (such as KTEA, CCAT, or CAT) provides most educators with an anchor, but I would be interested to see larger scale data analyzed. I imagine the analysis of sample writing from all standardized testing across provinces. The technology is there, it would be interesting to see if that can give the kind of insights that would benefit classroom teachers. Piggybacking on my A1 learning, it would also be wonderful to use those results to guide adaptive reading and writing technologies to help students in small group or one-on-one instruction.
Hi Andrew
Definitely, greater access to writing and reading data across different grade and age levels could provide invaluable insights into students’ current abilities and future learning needs. AI with large data sets definitely offers the ability to expand the scope of testing to encompass a broader dataset while at the same time has the potential to offer a more personalized understanding of students’ learning trajectories.
I also agree with the idea of analyzing sample writing from standardized tests across provinces. Standardized testing has fallen out of vogue in Canadian education academia, but I can already see in my province (BC) that got rid of standardized testing about 5 years ago, a proliferation of private schools inflating grades. For us to incorporate AI and large data, I too think we need something to anchor to, to create useful data. Your suggestion to utilize these insights to guide the development of adaptive reading and writing technologies is both innovative and practical. By integrating findings from large-scale data analysis into the design of educational tools, we can better tailor interventions to meet the diverse needs of students.
Thank you for your comment which underscores the transformative potential of data-driven approaches in education and highlights the importance of continually exploring innovative solutions to support student success.