Book Review: Big Data and Learning Analytics in Higher Education: Current Theory and Practice edited by Ben Kei Daniel (2016)

摘要

B ig data and learning analytics are increasingly common buzzwords in higher education circles, but what do those phrases mean, and what are their implications for practice in higher education? Big Data and Learning Analytics in Higher Education: Current Theory and Practice begins to answer these questions. Editor Ben Kei Daniel defines big data as “the significant growth in volume and variety of data that is no longer possible to manage using tradi- tional databases" (p. 1). For example, learning manage- ment systems such as Blackboard and Moodle have be- come increasingly commonplace over the last decade, and they have enabled the generation and collection of huge amounts of data on student behavior and academic performance. “Learning analytics” in this context refers to methods and tools used to gain insight from big data to accelerate student growth (p. 127). The purpose of this book is to provide an introduction to some of the current debates in the field of big data and learning analytics, as well as some examples of how these concepts are being implemented in higher education.