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,…

In today's data-driven and data-informed educational landscape, leaders face increasing pressure to make decisions and present results based on what appear to be comprehensive statistical analyses. However, the ethical implications of these responsibilities can be complex, particularly when statistical results carry the potential to be…

Data literacy is the ability to collect, manage, evaluate, and apply data, in a critical manner. It is a relatively new field of study, dating only from the 2010s. It includes the skills necessary to discover and access data, manipulate data, evaluate data quality, conduct analysis using data, interpret results of analyses, and understand the…

Leveraging big data for student data analytics is increasingly integrated throughout university operations from admissions to advising to teaching and learning. Though the possibilities are exciting to consider, they are not without risks to student autonomy, privacy, equity, and educational value. There has been little research showing how…

This collection focuses on the role of higher education institutions concerning datafication as a complex phenomenon. It explores how the universities can develop data literac(ies) shaping tomorrow skills and "formae mentis" to face the most deleterious effects of datafication, but also to engage in creative and constructive ways with…

Artificial intelligence and data analysis (AIDA) are increasingly entering the field of education. Within this context, the subfield of learning analytics (LA) has, since its inception, had a strong emphasis upon ethics, with numerous checklists and frameworks proposed to ensure that student privacy is respected and potential harms avoided. Here,…

Libraries remain one of the last places on campus where the purging of usage data is encouraged and "tracking" is a dirty word. While some libraries have demonstrated the usefulness of analytics, opponents bring up issues of privacy and debate the feasibility of student-generated library data for planning and assessment. Using a study…

According to the cliché, it is not what one says so much as how one says it. In the business world, those words ring particularly true. How one presents information can influence all forms of business decisions, from level of investment to expansion to downsizing and everything in between. This brings up significant questions relating to the…

The authors developed a teaching project for students to debate data and workplace privacy dilemmas, formulate plans of action for the use of certain data about workers and job applicants, and apply the law to reach and defend their solutions. The purpose of this versatile exercise is to sensitize both undergraduate and graduate business students…

While violence against children (VAC) has been a long-established global concern, more recently attention has been drawn to how violence occurs in and around schools (VACS) and the role of education in preventing and responding to violence. Whilst awareness about VACS is growing, more robust data are needed to inform policy and practice. Concerns…

The "Forum Guide to Data Literacy" is designed to help education agencies understand and build data literacy skills among various stakeholder groups such as administrators, teachers, students, parents and other caregivers, school board members, legislators, and community groups. This resource defines and discusses the importance of data…

As state and local education agencies increasingly focus on serving educators with their data systems, a common challenge has arisen: identifying the critical knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed by teachers and administrators to use data effectively. Many states are creating data literacy and data use training programs for pre- and in-service…

As more of commerce, entertainment, communication, and learning are occurring over the Web, the amount of data online activities generate is skyrocketing. Commercial entities have led the way in developing techniques for harvesting insights from this mass of data for use in identifying likely consumers of their products, in refining their products…