Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Big Data for Education: Data Mining, Data Analytics, and Web Dashboards


West, Darrell. "Big Data for Education: Data Mining, Data Analytics, and Web Dashboards." The Brookings Institute, September 2012.

From the report: "In this report, I examine the potential for improved research, evaluation, and accountability through data mining, data analytics, and web dashboards. So-called “big data” make it possible to mine learning information for insights regarding student performance and learning approaches.[1] Rather than rely on periodic test performance, instructors can analyze what students know and what techniques are most effective for each pupil. By focusing on data analytics, teachers can study learning in far more nuanced ways.[2] Online tools enable evaluation of a much wider range of student actions, such as how long they devote to readings, where they get electronic resources, and how quickly they master key concepts." Read more