Big Data: A New Era

The transformative role of big data in the classroom

Introduction

While data has always played a reputable role in education, “COVID-19 created an urgent need for education systems to use their data to gain visibility into who was engaging in remote learning and where education was taking place” (Microsoft Education Team, 2022). Schools quickly realized the dire need for technology to help not only deliver instruction, but also analyze student data to determine quality of learning during such an unprecedented time. This sudden shift brought to light a necessary need to focus on the role big data plays in education and how it can be used to help transform student learning environments by driving instruction.

What is Big Data?

“Big data is a term that is used to describe the large and continuously growing sets of data being collected by all types of organizations” (Big Data in Education, 2020). Big data is used to benefit many fields such as insurance, construction, and healthcare to name a few. However, over recent years as the increase in the use of online courses and digital teaching and learning opportunities has grown, big data has shown to play a positive role in generating data for teachers that demonstrates individual student performance, learning patterns, writing ability, and student needs (Baig, et al., 2020). Generally, the idea behind big data is supported by the concept of the 5 Vs-Volume, Velocity, Variety, Veracity, and Value. In essence, when substantial amounts of big data are consumed properly and analyzed to the fullest potential, all realms of education can benefit.

Why is Big Data Important?

The use of big data in schools is broad and can be collected from a variety of places, for a variety of reasons. Not only can data assess student performance, but it can also predict enrollment rates, target professional development needs, and even aid in increasing a district's financial and business productivity (Big Data in Education, 2022). With so many critical issues surrounding education, it is important for educators to understand the aspects of data analysis and how to properly use a large volume of data to drive instruction, as well as address other matters of interest in education. By embracing newer technologies like learning management systems (LMS), educators now have the power to gather a plethora of data and use it to not only identify student needs, but potentially use it for things like predicting trends in student learning.

The use of big data in the classroom helps to create a more personalized approach to teaching and learning. By analyzing results of assessments for students and using the results to drive instruction, teachers are able to better understand students and transfer ownership of learning over to them with clear goals and guidelines. Because there is so much benefit to its use, it is crucially important for teachers to be well trained on how to properly handle the data, as well as interpret and use the data to drive instruction. Instruction driven with data is purposeful, student-centered instruction and vital in today’s classrooms of diverse learners.

Big Data-Big Problems

While the implementation and use of big data in education can be beneficial, there are things to be considered when using various data systems to track student performance. The inconsistent use of the term “big data” often creates confusion, and thus, produces inconsistent results within data. It is important for data to correlate between agencies in order to be valid. When there are multiple systems being used for data collection that use a variety of standards it becomes difficult to understand data trends within a system. “Without consistent standards for data collection shared definition and interoperable systems, there is limited potential for improvement in the critical data-driven decision making that informs policy and practice” (SREB, 2018). Uniformed definitions on the topic have the ability to produce better efficiency. At this time in education, when technology is becoming a vital part of learning, it is imperative for investments to be made in adequately funding data systems that produce valid analytics for educators.

Data security and privacy are another hurdle to jump when it comes to big data. When there are so many systems being used to collect data, it becomes increasingly more difficult to protect the information within the system. It was interesting to learn in the article produced by the Southern Regional Education Board (2018) that there is a distinct difference between privacy and security. When looking at the issue of protecting the two, it is important to understand that data security revolves around protecting the actual technology systems from outside, unauthorized access; while data privacy is about protecting the confidentiality rights of the individuals who have information stored within the system. Both rights are important and should be protected.

The Future of Big Data

Technologies regarding data will continue to evolve in regards to the fast paced world we are living and learning in. It is important that researchers, policy makers, and educators all stay in tune with how their current institutions or districts are handling data and know the best ways to protect and interpret the data in ways that are the most beneficial. As the best ways to use data for education continue to develop, there is hope that a more uniformed way of defining and interpreting the data can be created. While it is such a large concept to understand, the correct analysis of big data can be a transformational tool in revolutionizing education and could become the most crucial aspect in depositing future-ready citizens into our world.

Additional Resource

References

Baig, M. I., Shuib, L., & Yadegaridehkordi, E. (2020). Big data in education: a state of the art, limitations, and future research directions. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-00223-0

Big Data in Education. (2020, December 7). Maryville Online. https://online.maryville.edu/blog/big-data-in-education/

Microsoft Education Team (2022, April 7). How data and AI are changing the world of education [Review of How data and AI are changing the world of education]. Microsoft Education. https://educationblog.microsoft.com/en-us/2022/04/how-data-and-ai-are-changing-the-world-of-education

SREB. (2018). 10 Issues in Educational Technology (pp. 2–11) [Review of 10 Issues in Educational Technology]. Southern Regional Education Board.