Big Data offers opportunities and challenges in all aspects of human life. In relation to research ethics, Big Data represents a normative difference in degree rather than a difference in kind. Data are more messy, rapid, difficult to predict, and difficult to identify owners; but the principles of informed consent, confidentiality, and prevention…

Undergraduate economics programs prepare students for future careers by developing competency working with data, or "data literacy." Our research examined the data literacy components of undergraduate economics programs at R1 and R2 universities in the United States (N = 190). We developed a protocol with core data skills and coded…

The significance of ethics in data science research has attracted considerable attention in recent years. While there is widespread agreement on the importance of teaching ethics within computing contexts, there is no clear method for its implementation and assessment. Studies focusing on methods for integrating ethics into data science courses…

This paper presents an ethical framework designed to support the development of critical data literacy for research methods courses and data training programmes in higher education. The framework we present draws upon our reviews of literature, course syllabi and existing frameworks on data ethics. For this research we reviewed 250 research…

This article explores potential uses, misuses, beneficiaries, and tensions of learning analytics in higher education. While those promoting and using learning analytics generally agree that ethical practice is imperative, and student privacy and rights are important, navigating the complex maze of ethical dilemmas can be challenging, particularly…

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education has mostly focused on issues associated with teaching and assessment. In this paper I used AI to support the analysis of data which consisted of public comments on a newspaper article. This small, low risk research was chosen to demonstrate the potential use of AI and how it may support…

Without regulations for higher education institutions in the metaverse, ethical transgressions are unavoidable. Educational metaverse systems, which integrate artificial intelligence, essentially depend on big data as their core technology, leading to considerable privacy issues. Therefore, this study examines data privacy and security issues, a…

This study conducted a systematic literature review of articles on learning analytics published between 2004 and January 2024. A total of 1,064 articles, identified using the keyword "learning analytic*" in the Scopus database, were analyzed. The study integrated systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis approaches to…

Learning analytics promise significant benefit to online education providers through improved, better-targeted student services. Much has been written about the potential of analytics and how they might be technically implemented, and various ethical considerations are published highlighting the significant potential risk of gathering,…

Student data is an invaluable asset for driving educational success, yet it comes with significant responsibility. As states explore ways to enhance data privacy protections, they must strike a balance between safeguarding sensitive information and leveraging data for student success. This brief examines the best practices in student data privacy…

The development of critical data and artificial intelligence (AI) literacy has become a key focus in current discussions in Higher Education, thus it is necessary to develop and advance capacity building, reflectiveness and awareness across disciplines to critically address the possibilities and challenges presented by data and AI. In this paper,…

Engaging and motivating students in undergraduate statistics courses can be enhanced by using topical peer-reviewed publications for analyses as part of course assignments. Given the popularity of on-campus therapy dog stress-reduction programs, this topic fosters buy-in from students whilst providing information regarding the importance of mental…

Over recent decades, higher education infrastructures have become increasingly digitized and datafied. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated adoption of online learning platforms, trading the walls of the classroom for digital systems. Yet the surveillance, privacy, and discrimination issues that such systems raise are minimally understood by those…

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, online interviews have become a cheap and practical way to collect research data with no need to travel, from the comfort of your office or home. In 2023, we interviewed online 15 academics working in initial teacher education using an unstructured interview approach, without a schedule of interview questions or…

Learning analytics are starting to become standardized in higher education as institutions use the techniques of Big Data analytics to make decisions to help them reach their goals. The widespread use of student information brings forth ethical concerns primarily in relation to privacy. While the overarching ethical issues related to learning…