Big Data in E-Learning: Looking To the Future

As more and more institutions—educational, business, governments etc.—continue to integrate e-learning processes into both the classroom and corporate work space, the amount of data coming out from these institutes are multiplying considerably.

These data which comes from the records—personal information, test scores, training materials, video lectures, free courses etc.—of millions of students and employees create the term ‘Big data’ in education. And for a thorough understanding of Big Data and its possible effects on the future of education, one must first know the meaning of this revolutionary term.

So what is Big Data?

The technical meaning of the term Big Data, are data sets so large and complex that analyzing them becomes difficult and requires the services of specialized tools to make any sense of them. In e-learning, data is gathered from many platforms such as learning management systems, social media accounts, Authoring tools and other applications used to make online education possible. While these data sets may not run into billions for the average institution or learning platform, the data collected by these mediums are still cumbersome and difficult to manage hence the phrase “Big data in E-learning.”

So what are The Benefits Big Data Offers E-learning Educators?

The benefits of an educator’s ability to work with analyzed data sets coming from his or her tutorial platforms and tools are quite numerous and are also set for an increase as the study and application of Big Data advances. But outlined are some present benefits to motivate you to consider the importance of data analysis in your virtual classrooms:

Understand how Learners Assimilate: the understanding levels of individuals coupled with how individuals learn varies for no two humans are completely alike. Therefore, gathering data on the number of students—taking your course—who make use of video or textual tutorials to study will help you recognize each students preferred mode of learning. The educator can now use these information to create better course materials targeting specific student’s learning processes.
Analyzing Instant Data: in e-learning, test results, participation records and number of students taking a course falls under the category of instantaneous data. So effectively analyzing these data can help the educator draw a map measuring each student’s participation levels against their assessment scores. This information can then be used to fine tune the educators schedule, teaching process and approach to getting his or her student to participate in course work.
Predictive Analysis: educators who take personal development seriously can analyze data results such as the educational fields seeking more professionals, courses they can take to improve CVs etc. in other to participate in such development programs which in turn increases both the educator’s professional output and income.

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And how would Big Data Impact Learners?

The information Big Data can provide cuts across both sides—learner, educator—of the educational process which means that students and participants in e-learning courses also have a lot to gain from adequately presented data. The benefits Big Data brings to the learner are:

Better Presented Courses: educators who understand how their students learn will definitely produce better teaching materials to meet their learning patterns. The student, if presented with info graphs showing how he or she assimilates, could be tempted to study more and take advantage of it.
Choosing Career Paths: High school students and employees looking to advance their careers can take advantage of the information Big Data provides when looking for a career path to undertake or searching for courses that can increase their professional advancement. This information gives these learners the needed advice to make educated choices.

As e-learning continues to embrace Big Data, the advancement will definitely be seen across all mediums of online education thereby creating a win/win situation for both students seeking knowledge and the educators dispensing it.

Infographic on Data Mining

Infographic is credited to collegestats.org