Student choices: Analytics give opportunity to customise learning

FT

July 17, 2013 12:01 am

By Sarah Murray

Work and play: learning can take place off campus

The topic of big data is making its way into the classroom, and the ability to analyse information is helping educators make better decisions and customise content for individuals, raising hopes of improved results and lower dropout rates.

In most industries, big data (complex information produced in huge amounts) come from websites and social media as well as devices such as mobile phones, video recorders, satellites and sensors.

In education, the information is generated by everything from online learning tools on laptops, mobile phones or tablets to school league tables, student record systems and data collected by education departments and regulators.

John McAlister, a decision sciences specialist at PA Consulting, says: “Most parents would be surprised at the level of data being captured in education.”

However, while large volumes of data have long been generated by the education sector, software now allows this information to be used to analyse everything from the relative success of different teaching methods to the length of time students spend on one type of course versus another. Central to the success of predictive analytics is the fact that education is moving into an online world, where activities can be tracked.

In education, the big data approach is “only enabled by an increasing number of students and teachers conducting their lives online”, says Gartner, the IT research company.

Of course, this raises concerns. With schools and universities holding such information on the performance of each student and teacher, governments and education institutions will need to establish policies to protect individuals’ privacy.

However, data analytics promise many benefits. Armed with information, parents and students can make better choices when selecting schools and universities. This has particular relevance in countries where tuition fees are rising or governments are cutting student subsidies.

“If you’re moving to a self-funded university system, students should be more interested in the data on different universities,” says Mr McAlister.

When it comes to individual courses, students could identify which ones – based on their personalities – they would be more likely to succeed in, or those that would do most to secure them the jobs they want.

“We could have that personalisation and convenience we’ve come to expect in online shopping,” says Ellen Wagner, executive director of the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education Co-operative for Educational Technologies, which promotes technology-enhanced teaching in US higher education.

For educators, analytics software provides insights into what works best in the classroom.

Schools or universities could use data to identify courses in which students are struggling and compare them with others where they are doing better, allowing improvements to be made. Such methods also allow educators to personalise study programmes for individuals based on their learning styles, strengths and weaknesses.

“Institutions are going to be able to offer a more engaging learning experience,” says Michael King, head of the global education industry unit at IBM, the technology company.

Customisation can take place rapidly. Data generated as students go through a course can be used to inform immediate changes in pace or content.

John Baker, president and chief executive of Desire2Learn, which provides software for educational applications, says: “Instead of everyone using the same text book and going through it at the same pace, it’s tailoring the experience.

“And when you put this technology in the hands of teachers and educators around the world, we’re seeing students who would normally drop out finishing high school and students who are struggling through university getting better advice,” he adds.

Traditional schooling is also being turned on its head. Pupils will no longer need to spend the day in lectures and evenings doing homework designed to help absorb what they learnt in class.

When highly customised instruction can be accessed online at home, the school day can be devoted to team activities, real-life experiences and the practical application of knowledge.

As a result, scarce educational resources can be better used. IBM’s Mr King says: “You can use that expensive classroom and teacher time to allow the students to work in groups and build other skills.”