As we move towards more empirical evidence and mass amounts of data being collected every day, the need to data management and data privacy are more important than ever. Questions concerning how we manage data, store data, and protect data are important topics to discuss; however, the main question is how to we interpret the data correctly. What is the data telling us and how can we use it to make the student and teacher more successful? There are a few issues that need to be looked at as we venture into the world of big data in education- Data Definitions, Data Systems, and Data Privacy for students.
Data Definitions - With no consistent definitions of data, those who need to interpret it are at a loss. The ability to match up data from various sources - colleges, universities, K-12 institutions, etc. will be difficult at best when elements are defined differently. There needs to be consistency among the participating stakeholders and how they define the necessary terms and variables of the data being collected. This would allow more efficient communication and interpretation of data among all sectors (SREB, 2015).
Data Systems - The ability to link large networks of data systems relies on a robust infrastructure that is accessed from multiple institutions ranging from kindergarten through university as well as members of the workforce. Inconsistent standards for connections or for common definitions of data being shared, decreases the usefulness of the data being
collected. Initially, data was defined differently across the individual systems without regard for how it would later be interpreted on a larger scale in a more centralized location. Academic systems need to develop and maintain more robust networks to ensure student success and completion rates as well as instructor effectiveness (SREB, 2018).
Data Privacy - The final point of interest is Data Privacy. As more data is collected by institutions, the importance of maintaining that data should be a top priority by academia. FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) was enacted to grant access to information to family members of a student or to the student once they reach the age of 18 (or enter into secondary education). FERPA is designed to protect the privacy of students and their records (ED.gov, 2021).
Investments need to be made in training, infrastructure, and professional development to ensure that student data is safe. FERPA is an important part an instructors day to day life, as we are in control of student grades, any accommodations or exemptions and we must carefully balance access to, sharing of. and the protection of data.
In the future, I need to become more knowledgeable towards data management at the institutional level and remain up to date with trainings and changes in data privacy issues.
For Future Reference: https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/
Works Cited:
Anonymous. (2015, December). Data definitions. Southern Regional Education Board. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www.sreb.org/data-definitions
Southern Regional Education Board. February 2018. 10 Issues in Educational Technology.
Anonymous. (2021, August 25). Family educational rights and privacy act (FERPA). Home. Retrieved August 28, 2022, from https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html
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