Abstract:

The rapid advance of Information and Communication Technologies in the last couple of years has resulted in a substantial growth in the quantity of information that is produced. This data revolution commonly termed ‘Big Data’ is, currently, one of the hottest research topics in science and technology communities and one of the highest IT trends that is made use of in several domains for various purposes. Big data is expected to impact not only how individuals and organizations extract, process and use information, but can bring about significant changes in many fields. Nevertheless, one of the major domains in which the use of big data technologies seems to be very promising is education. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to explore the potential opportunities of using these voluminous amounts of data in education. In this vein, based on a review of various studies that have been conducted on the application of big data technologies in education settings, it was found out that these datasets data can bring about several benefits to the education sector. Indeed, using the huge amounts of data that students leave behind while browsing social media and Learning Management Systems platforms together with the information retrieved on their enrolments and academic performance, education institutions can gain meaningful insights on how students are learning. Therefore, educators can spot students’ strengths as well as the particular areas where these students need extra help. In addition to giving insights into how students are learning, big data can also enable teachers to identify which parts of their courses or lessons are difficult to understand or to master, and which teaching methodology is more efficient. It has also been found out that big data technologies can provide every student with a customized learning experience, which takes into consideration his specific needs and skills. Finally, incorporating big data in education can allow administrators to systematically identify students who are likely to drop out and, hence, prompt staff to intervene before it is too late. Given the great potential of big data in fostering excellent teaching and learning, academic institutions should be encouraged to embrace this data revolution.

Keywords:

Big Data, Analytics, Education, Opportunities.