The Evolution of Big Data and Learning Analytics in American Higher Education

Authors

  • Anthony G Picciano Graduate Center and Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v16i3.267

Keywords:

data-driven decision making, big data, learning analytics, higher education, rational decision making, planning

Abstract

Data-driven decision making, popularized in the 1980s and 1990s, is evolving into a vastly more sophisticated concept known as big data that relies on software approaches generally referred to as analytics. Big data and analytics for instructional applications are in their infancy and will take a few years to mature, although their presence is already being felt and should not be ignored. While big data and analytics are not panaceas for addressing all of the issues and decisions faced by higher education administrators, they can become part of the solutions integrated into administrative and instructional functions. The purpose of this article is to examine the evolving world of big data and analytics in American higher education. Specifically, it will look at the nature of these concepts, provide basic definitions, consider possible applications, and last but not least, identify concerns about their implementation and growth.

Author Biography

Anthony G Picciano, Graduate Center and Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)

Anthony G. Picciano is a professor and executive officer in the Ph.D. Program in Urban Education at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He is also a member of the faculty in the graduate program in Education Leadership at Hunter College, the doctoral certificate program in Interactive Pedagogy and Technology at the City University of New York Graduate Center, and CUNY Online BA Program in Communication and Culture. He has extensive experience in education administration and teaching, and has been involved in a number of major grants from the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, IBM, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. In 1998, Dr. Picciano co-founded CUNY Online, a multi-million dollar initiative funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation that provides support services to faculty using the Internet for course development. He was a founding member and continues to serve on the Board of Directors of the Sloan Consortium. In 2010, Dr. Picciano was the recipient of the Sloan-Consortium’s National Award for Outstanding Achievement in Online Education by an Individual. Dr. Picciano’s major research interests are school leadership, education policy, Internet-based teaching and learning, and multimedia instructional models. Dr. Picciano has conducted three major national studies with Jeff Seaman on the extent and nature of online and blended learning in American K-12 school districts. He has authored numerous articles and ten books including Educational Leadership and Planning for Technology, 5th Edition (2011, Pearson), Data-Driven Decision Making for Effective School Leadership (2006, Pearson), Distance Learning: Making Connections across Virtual Space and Time (2001, Pearson), and Educational Research Primer (2004, Continuum). In 2007, he co-edited a book on blended learning with Chuck Dziuban entitled, Blended Learning: Research Perspectives (The Sloan Consortium). It is the only book in the field that provides a look at the research on blended learning. He is currently working on two books: one with Joel Spring on technology, networks and education policy; and another with Charles Graham and Chuck Dziuban on blended learning.

Published

2012-06-18

Issue

Section

Learning Analytics: Special Issue