Educational data mining (EDM) is an emerging discipline that focuses on applying data mining tools and techniques to educationally related data. The discipline focuses on analyzing educational data to develop models for improving learning experiences and improving institutional effectiveness. A literature review on educational data mining topics which covers topics such as student retention and attrition, personal recommender systems within education, and how data mining can be used to analyze course management system data. Gaps in the current literature and opportunities for further research are presented.