Future Outlooks of Big Data in Education

There are many distractions in a busy classroom. Biometric data can be compiled using a camera in the classroom, a webcam or smartwatch like device on a students wrist. These devices are able to measure eye gaze, heart rate or facial expressions. The data collected can indicate to a teacher if attentiveness has dropped and the teacher can address the issue, such as mobile device use, to get the students attention back. If this is happening across the class, the teacher will know that the lesson may need adjustments and can make appropriate changes.

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The field of precision medicine uses information about a patients genetic make up to develop an individualized treatment plan. Precision education envisions using the same model and by collecting genetic, lifestyle and environmental data be able to provide a personalized intervention of prevention plan for students. This research is not without controversy due to personal nature of the data collected and the scientific soundness of the research and ethics involved.

  

​“For many in bioethics, the idea of precision education provokes concerns about stigma and self-fulfilling prophecies."

  - Matthews (2020).

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MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) can have students numbering in the thousands. Using the large amounts of data that can be collected due to the large sample size,  researchers have been studying the use of deep learning algorithms. They are looking at what data predicts which students are most likely to dropout and use that information to develop intervention models to help at-risk students. In classes this large, interventions such personalized emails or video messages,  can be programmed to occur automatically.

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As the use of learning analytics becomes more common place, the importance of information that teachers are informally collecting daily in the classroom cannot be understated. Big data can help to identify patterns that allow identification of areas where students are struggling and help improve lessons, but they are not a replacement for a teacher.

 

“The teacher-student relationship is indispensable in students’ learning, and inspirational in students’ personal growth.”    - Luan et al., 2020

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