Learning Analytics: What's the Big Deal About Big Data?

• In Event: Mixed Methods Approaches to Assessment, Evaluation, and Accountability Effectiveness in Schools: Graduate Student Reports

Abstract

Using technology to understand student processes is not a new concept; however, the application of business intelligence principles to higher education is. Big data and learning analytics can be integrated into administrative and instructional functions to address many of the issues facing higher education today. This paper explores the emerging methodology for assessing and predicting student performance using a combination of pre-existing data sources, including its history, current research, limitations, and impact on the future of assessment.

Author

• Laura Yahn, University of Connecticut