A Framework for Identifying and Analyzing Major Issues in Implementing Big Data and

Data Analytics in E-Learning: Introduction to Special Issue on Big Data and Data
Analytics
Author(s): Maria Elena Corbeil, Joseph Rene Corbeil and Badrul H. Khan
Source: Educational Technology , January-February 2017, Vol. 57, No. 1 (January-
February 2017), pp. 3-9
Published by: Educational Technology Publications, Inc.

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 A Framework for issue on big data and data analytics. Second, it
describes a framework for identifying and analyzing
the major issues surrounding the thoughtful and pur-
poseful implementation of big data in education, and
Identifying and specifically in e-learning.

Analyzing Major Issues Introduction

With the advancement of digital learning technolo-

in Implementing gies, knowledge sharing for the purpose of education

and training has accelerated to a point never before
experienced by mankind (Khan, 2015a). Two of the
Big Data and Data hottest emerging topics related to knowledge sharing
in the e-learning arena over the past few years are
Analytics in E-Learning big data and data analytics. But what are they and
how can they be used to improve education, and
especially e-learning?
This article serves as an introduction to the special
Introduction to Special Issue on issue on big data and data analytics in e-learning, and
Big Data and Data Analytics its broader implications for education in general.
Corbeil, Corbeil, and Khan begin by providing an
overview of some of the promises and challenges of
big data and data analytics in e-learning and explain
Maria Elena Corbeil how Khan's (2001) e-learning Framework can be used
to identify and analyze the major issues surrounding
Joseph Rene Corbeil
the thoughtful and purposeful implementation of big
Badrul H. Khan
data and data analytics in education.
Guest Editors In the second article, Bodily, Graham, and Bush
describe several challenges and opportunities for
using data analytics to support student engagement
Due to rapid advancements in our ability to collect, from the perspectives of pedagogical, technological,
process, and analyze massive amounts of data, it is now and interface design dimensions. They propose solu-
possible for educational institutions to gain new insights tions that are tool and content malleable.
into how people learn (Kumar, 2013). E-learning has
In the third article, Daniel describes how big data,
become an important part of education, and this form
of learning is especially suited to the use of big data and used strategically, can help higher educational institu-
data analysis, leading to improved outcomes, so it is tions overcome many of the challenges that have
deserving of special emphasis. As we consider the enor- emerged in the past several years, such as increased
mous potential of big data in e-learning, we must also demand from government and private institutions for
recognize many emerging issues in order to implement more transparency and proof of return on investment.
data analytics responsibly. This article serves two func- Through the lens of the technical, management, and ped-
tions. First, it provides an introduction to the special agogical dimensions, Daniel describes the opportunities

Maria Elena Corbeil is Associate Professor at the University of Technology in Texas. He has published articles in numerous
Texas Rio Grande Valley. For over 15 years, she has developed journals and contributed chapters to books on innovations in
and taught fully online undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral ed- e-learning and distance education. In 2012, he received the
ucational technology courses. She is also the program coordina-University of Texas System Regents' Outstanding Teaching Award
tor for two fully online undergraduate educational technology (e-mail: [email protected]). Badrul H. Khan, a Contributing
specializations, and has focused on maintaining teaching excel- Editor, is an author, educator, and consultant in the field of
lence and program quality through the mentoring and training ofe-learning and educational technology. He is the author of the
online full-time and adjunct faculty. In 201 1 , she was awarded thebest-selling book Web Based Instruction, which in 1997 paved
International Association for Computer Information Systems' Ben the way for the field of e-learning. He has over 20 years of ex-
Bauman Teaching Excellence Award (e-mail: mariaelena.corbeil perience developing e-learning environments for education, cor-
@utrgv.edu). Joseph Rene Corbeil is Associate Professor at the porate, and government settings. He has served as a consultant
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. For over 17 years, he hasto projects for the World Bank, UNDP, NATO USAID, Asian
developed and taught fully Web-based undergraduate, graduate,Development Bank, and other institutions and corporations. In
and doctoral courses in educational technology, and developed 2015, he was inducted into the United States Distance Learning
Association Hall of Fame (e-mail: [email protected]).
the first fully online undergraduate specialization in Educational

EDUCATIONAL TECH NOLOGY/January- February 2017 3

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and limitations of big data in education. He concludes visualizing data" (The Conceptual Foundations of Big
by identifying elements of a research agenda that Data and Analytics, para. 1).
could further the theoretical understanding of the According to MacNeil et al. (2014), the convergence
relevance of big data within the higher education of several factors has contributed to the increased atten-
discourse. tion on big data and data analysis in education. Key
In the fourth article, Gudivada points out that whileexamples include: the impact of the economy on educa-
the focus of big data in education has been on struc-tion, creating limited resources and increased account-
tured data, there is equal value in collecting and ana-ability; advancements in EDM (educational data mining)
lyzing unstructured data generated by e-learning research; the application of corporate innovations that
course communications, such as blogs, discussions,help determine consumer preferences (e.g., Amazon &
and course messages. Thus, he proposes a method forNetflix); lessons learned from educational experiments
the cognitive analysis of unstructured data, and in big data, such as MOOCs; and the proliferation of
describes how it can be used to personalize learning, wearable sensors, mobile technologies, and social
resulting in improved student learning outcomes. media that are putting ongoing data collection and auto-
In the final article, Macfadyen makes the case thatmated data analysis in the hands of consumers for per-
large-scale implementation of big data is not attain- sonal use. For these, and other reasons, big data and
able for most educational institutions. She proposes data analytics show promise, with some caution, for use
developing homegrown analytics programs that offer in education, and especially in e-learning.
stakeholders customized insights into localized teach-
ing and learning challenges, using data that audiences Promises of Big Data
can access and understand. Current literature (Alarcon et al., 2014; Cope &
Kalantzis, 2015a, 2015b, 2016; Daniel, this issue;
Through their articles, the contributing authors have
identified the enormous potential of big data in edu-Gudivada, this issue; Picciano, 2012; Selwyn, 2015)
cation, as well as several emerging issues that need demonstrates
to researchers' consensus overall, with
be addressed to implement data analytics responsibly.some caveats, that big data and data analytics can
The discussion begins below with, "What is big data?"positively impact decision-making, as well as teaching
and learning in education. The reported benefits of big
What Is Big Data? data and data analytics range from streamlining
Oxford Dictionaries Online (n.d.) defines big data educational processes and providing learners more
as "extremely large data sets that may be analyzed personalized educational choices and learning
environments, to using educational resources more
computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associ-
ations, especially relating to human behavior and efficiently and increasing student access to education.
interaction." In addition, according to Daniel, in this One of the most popular benefits cited by
issue, " [t] he concept of big data also covers innova-
researchers is the potential of analyzing the results of
tive techniques and technologies used to capture, big data for personalizing instruction. In his article in
store, distribute, manage, and analyze structurally this issue, Gudivada presents an architecture for cog-
nitive analytics and describes how big data can be
heterogeneous larger-sized datasets" (Background,
para. 3). This is important to keep in mind whenused to improve student learning outcomes through
personalized learning. He makes the case for the use
considering the advantages and disadvantages of big
data in e-learning. of big data to create more personalized learning envi-
Pappas (2014) narrows the definition of big data in ronments, especially for addressing learner diversity.
the context of the e-learning industry as "the data thatSimilarly, regarding student engagement in e-learn-
ing, Bodily, Graham, and Bush, in their article in this
is created by learners while they are taking an e-learn-
issue, propose that the affordances of online learning
ing course or training module" (para. 2). Terzieva et al.
environments and new advances in data analytics
(2015) noted that when defining big data, the term
"big" refers to the "huge amount of structured and
present many opportunities that can lead to improve-
unstructured information generated at high speedments in our ability to fully engage students. The
authors contrast the ability of face-to-face instructors
from multiple diverse sources - digital and traditional"
to collect data on student learning activities once stu-
(para. 1), as well as to the importance of the data and
how they are interpreted and used. After big data aredents have left the classroom, with that of online
collected, data analytics are then used to examine theinstructors who can continuously collect student
data in order to draw conclusions and make predic-activity information via the learning management
system. They observe, "as online and technology-
tions. Daniel (this issue) points out that "analytics
mediated instruction become more prevalent, it is
generally refers to a set of software tools, machine
possible to capture data that can help educators
learning techniques, and algorithms used for captur-
ing, processing, indexing, storing, analyzing, andunderstand the engagement level of students in the

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learning that takes place outside of the face-to-face education, specifically, that big data can help us
classroom'' (Pedagogical Considerations, para. 2). They understand learner patterns in e-learning courses,
add that with an effective data collection, analysis, and from beginning to end.
retrieval system, the information could benefit all stake- Collecting large amounts of consumer data and
holders in the educational environment, allowing analyzing it to improve customer service and satisfy
students and instructors "to make adjustments to instruc- other commercial needs are already commonplace in
tion when it is apparent that students are not engaging business, and consumers are becoming accustomed to
fully" (Pedagogical Considerations, para. 2). the process. Data is collected with every Internet search
Alarcon et al. (2014) also noted that the benefits of and product selection online. Masie (2013) makes the
big data and data analytics are far reaching, helping connection between this commonplace use of big data
improve administrative as well as educational and data analytics to education, stating, "Big learning
processes never before imagined, stating: data also has benefits for the learner, designer, manager
or the organization that enable each to do things better,
Data mining can support a variety of education-related faster, cheaper, more strategically and more persuasive-
functions, including building student models to indi- ly" (Masie, 2013, para. 2). He cautions, however, that
vidualize instruction, map learning domains, evaluate the benefits of big data and data analytics do not come
pedagogical support, and contribute to learning sci- without their drawbacks. He also wrote, "Big learning
ence. Analytics techniques can be used to create mod-
data will be a powerful and potentially disruptive tool
els to predict registration, student performance, and
retention. The wealth of new information about students for learning professionals" (para. 1).
is used to detect cheating or plagiarism, create college
or course recommendation engines, and identify abnor- Challenges and Pitfalls
mal results. It can also be used for administrative, Regarding the challenge of big data and data analyt-
recruiting, and fundraising purposes, (p. 3) ics for e-learning, Terzieva et al. (2015) observed that
"it is so large, dynamic, and complex that it cannot be
In addition, educational institutions now have the handled with conventional applications in real time"
tools to identify, with useful accuracy, which students (para. 1). Capacity, in terms of both technical and
are at the greatest risk of failure before semester class- human, is an issue that arises in the application of big
es even begin (Simon, 2016). Using data mined from data and data analysis. Specialized equipment and
the institution's learning management system, analyt- people trained to install, support, and use it, as well as
ics software can track students' online activity, reading educators prepared in the collection and analysis of
patterns, discussion forum participation, and time such large amounts of information, all coming at the
spent working on assignments. Through this software, same time, some in a structured, and others in an
students' online habits can be analyzed to predict unstructured format, are needed.
their probability of academic success. Proponents of Due to the increased, specialized resources requir-
big data say that these data-based predictions can ed to mine and analyze big data, Masie (2013) points
help to identify at-risk students, stage interventions, out that another issue stems from educators common-
and boost completion and graduation rates. ly collecting the information that is easily available.
In her article in this issue, Macfadyen also offers He noted, " [t] he problem with learning data is his-
specific ways in which big data and data analytics can torically we've always gone for the low-hanging
inform important educational decision making, such fruit. Learning professionals have collected inexpen-
as: streamlining of operational expenditures; clarifica- sive, easily acquired data from within our domain:
tion of patterns of progression, graduation, and usually the classroom or program" (Masie, 201 3, para.
attrition for different cohorts of students; optimizing 7). This can promote decisions made based on super-
course enrollments; evaluation of educational invest- ficial information, instead of more in-depth detailed
ments; and experimentation with alternative credit data that may be more challenging to mine. Similarly,
models. Many of these aspects, which oftentimes pres- Bodily et al. (this issue), point to technological issues
ent challenges to administrators, staff, faculty, and in data collection, storage, and retrieval, as well as
students, can be alleviated with effective data collec- pedagogical, and interface design concerns. "Current
tion and analytics. "Moreover, the insights gained thinking regarding 'big data' and 'learning analytics' is
from the analyses of these growing amounts of data often based on the key assumption that the data is
are likely to provide higher education institutions already being collected" (Technical Issues, para. 1)
with new ways of examining and understanding their by the technology available at the institution (i.e., the
challenges" (Daniel, this issue, Background, para. 3). learning management system and technology infra-
Daniel also observes that the data that is now avail- structure already in place). The authors detail specific
able facilitates educational research that can be issues such as challenges faced with the learning man-
focused on addressing the challenges faced by higher system and sharing data in formats that are
agement

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accessible to a variety of audiences, to name a few.
Ifenthaler (2015) concurs, "[m]ore educational data
does not always make better educational data"
(Challenges, para. 1), noting that data mined from dif-
ferent sources may have different interpretations and
can impact important student, program, and institution-
al decisions. He summarized the challenges around
four main issues (Challenges, para. 2), that much of the
literature on big data agrees upon:
1. Not all educational data is relevant and
equivalent.
2. Ethical issues are associated with the use of
educational data for learning analytics.
3. Limited access to educational data generates
disadvantages for involved stakeholders.
4. The preparation of stakeholders for applying
insights from leąrning analytics in a meaningful
way is vital.
Figure 1. Khan's E-Learning Framework.
Even as far back as 201 2, concerns over the appropriate
use of big data surfaced. When asked to predict the use of
big data and data analytics in 2020, in a Pew Research designing, developing, implementing, and maintaining
Center report, one survey participant wrote, "Too much online learning environments where learning is actively
trust will be given to predictive analytics of big data.. .They fostered and supported (Khan, 2015a). Khan's (2001) E-
will 'assume' their analytics are correct in all decision Learning Framework provides such a structure.
making and lose focus on 'pre' big data techniques that
were more personalized" (Anderson & Rainy, 2012). The E-Learning Framework
Macfadyen (this issue) agrees, noting the challenges trying Khan's Framework consists of eight dimensions, some-
a "one size fits all solution" to help solve very specific times referred to as factors. Each dimension represents a
needs in education. She refers to educators finding category of issues that need to be considered prior to
themselves in "a state of analytic panic" as they become implementation in order to create a successful e-learning
"increasingly convinced that a data-driven approach experience. Figure 1 presents Khan's E-Learning Frame-
might offer benefits to their learners and competitive work. The eight dimensions are as follows:
advantages to their institution, but lacking the resources, The pedagogical dimension addresses issues pertaining
structures, and/or capacity to bring about complex system to how instructional content is designed, delivered, and
change" (What If Smaller Is Better? The Promise of implemented, with a strong emphasis on the identification
Pragmatic Analytics, para. 1 ). of learners' needs and how the learning objectives will be
Issues with big data and data analytics also stem from achieved. This dimension also addresses the delivery
concerns about preserving students' civil liberties; the method for the course activities and the appropriateness of
inability of students to defy or question decisions made the online environment for achieving the learning goals of
based on big data; educators' inability to detect bias in its intended audience. The pedagogical dimension could
data collection and analysis; and the personal and pro- also address issues pertaining to the role of big data and
fessional challenges inherent in labeling students (e.g., data analytics in e-learning, their possibilities and limits,
at-risk) (Alarcon et ai, 201 4). They added: and how educators can mine legal and meaningful data
sources to make instructional decisions.
i Though data-driven education has the potential to improve
The technological dimension is concerned with
access to and the quality of teaching in underserved com-
munities, it may also perpetuate persistent labeling, deepen
the learning environment, its creation, and the tools
rather than lessen concerns about resources, violate peo- required to deliver the learning program. This dimension
ple's expectations of privacy, and enable inappropriate or also addresses hardware and software requirements, as
harmful repurposing of educational data in non-education- well as infrastructure planning. Also addressed are issues
al contexts, (para. 2) pertaining to the selection of the most suitable learning
management system (LMS) and communication tools for
In order to assess these and other challenges, it is help- achieving the institution's learning goals and objectives.
ful to examine them through a structure for analyzing Technical requirements such as the server capacities,
an organization's readiness to initiate new programs or bandwidth, security, backups, and other infrastructure
initiatives. Success in e-learning systems involves a issues are also addressed. The technological dimension
systemic and systematic process of analyzing, planning, would also address networking infrastructure issues relat-

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ing to big data volume and transmission. financial aid, registration and payment, information tech-
The interface design dimension is concerned with fac- nology services, graduation, and grades. Academic
tors related to the overall look and feel of the course inter- affairs issues address accreditation, policy, instructional
face. Factors such as Web design, content design, naviga- quality, faculty and support staff, and class size. Student
tion, accessibility, and usability testing are addressed in services relates to issues regarding student support and
this dimension. The first impression students get from a learning, in and out of the course. The institutional
course is often based on the site's user interface appear- dimension would also address issues pertaining to data
ance and ease of use. The interface design dimension ownership, how the data are used, and the impact of
would also address accessibility and usability issues per- data-based decisions on students.
taining to the data portals. Are they useable and accessible Before a new e-learning initiative is implemented,
by all stakeholders? including the adoption of big data and data analytics for
The evaluation dimension addresses the assessment of planning and decision-making, each of the aforemen-
learners; evaluation of the instruction and learning envi- tioned dimensions should be analyzed to ensure a
ronment; assessment of content development processes smooth implementation. Only after thoughtful consider-
and of the persons involved in the design process (i.e., ation of the benefits and risks across all affected institu-
the planning, design, production, and evaluation teams); tional dimensions can an organization make an informed
review of instructional design processes (i.e., planning, decision on how to move forward.
design, development; and evaluation); and evaluation
of e-learning at the program and institutional levels. The Emerging Issues or Questions
evaluation dimension would also address the quality of When evaluating potential issues, Khan (2015a)
recommends presenting them in the form of questions
data, as well as procedures used in the analysis of big data.
The management dimension deals with issues related to help stakeholders think through their projects thor-
to the management of the learning program, such as oughly. Table 1 presents emerging issues or questions
the continuation, updating, and upkeep of the learning associated with the adoption of big data and data
analytics for e-learning programs and institutional
environment. This continuation may be used to determine
whether the educational technology atmosphere is initiatives. The issues are representative of concerns e-
performing adequately, and whether the instruction is learning stakeholders hold about big data and data
meeting its intent. This dimension also addresses issues analytics and are by no means exhaustive. As institutions
of quality control, budgeting, staffing, security, and sched- gain experience with the use of big data for e-learning
uling. The management dimension would also address programming and decision making, more factors may
issues pertaining to data protection and security, as well as emerge.
budgeting for maintenance and upgrades of technology After a comprehensive list of critical questions have
and equipment to support big data storage. been identified for each of the eight dimensions of the
The resource support dimension considers all of the Framework, the questions can be used to rate the analy-
technical and human resource support required to create sis of the new initiative as Target, Ongoing , or Not Met.
meaningful and successful online learning environments • Target. The issue(s) have been thoroughly ad-
for the learners. Examples of student support services dressed.
include Web-based and telephone technical support, as • Ongoing. The issue(s) have been partially
well as access to digital libraries, online tutorials, news- addressed, but some issues remain unresolved.
letters, journals, podcasts, glossaries, frequently asked • Not Met. The issue(s) have not been addressed.
questions (FAQs), and career counseling services. The How do stakeholders determine a rating of Target ,
resource support dimension would also address human Ongoing , or Not Meti If benchmarks already exist,
and technical support issues related to the collection, stor- their continued use is recommended. The intention of
age, analysis, and mining of big data. this exercise is to judge the status of each issue using
The ethical dimension identifies the ethical issues that the best information available. Some benchmark crite-
need to be addressed in design, development, and imple- ria may not be fully applicable in some institutional
mentation of e-learning courses and programs. Issues per- contexts. Even so, judgment will always be subjective.
taining to social and political influence, diversity, bias, the The guided review process should yield the most trans-
digital divide, information accessibility, and etiquette are parent, unbiased, and reasonable judgment for each
addressed. Legal issues address privacy, plagiarism, and dimension. Table 2 presents a quality assurance sum-
copyright. The ethical dimension would also address mary table for identifying and addressing big data
issues related to the ethical use of big data, as well as the issues in an organization.
protection and anonymity of human subjects. Each institution is different and faces its own chal-
The institutional dimension addresses issues pertaining lenges. Therefore, while a majority of big data issues
to administrative affairs, academic affairs, and student may be universal, some issues are unique to each
services. Administrative affairs issues relate to admissions, institution. The Quality Assurance Summary Table can

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Table 1. Potential issues of big data and data analytics to help cluster and analyze relevant data. For example,
in e-learning. students' data on learning-related issues can be organ-
ized under the Pedagogical dimension to enable stake-
Dimension Issues or Questions holders to develop strategic prescriptions. Similarly,
online registration-related data can fall under the
Pedagogical • What is the role of big data in
Institutional (administrative) dimension. Therefore, the
e-learning?
• What are the possibilities and Framework provides a structure and guiding methodolo-
limits of big data for improving gy to meaningfully utilize big data and data analytics for
e-learning? making informed education and training decisions.
• Where can educators go to mine
legal and meaningful data Conclusion
sources? All activities, interactions, and transactions in our
Technological • Do educational institutions have daily lives in this digital society are increasingly gener-
the networking infrastructure to ating an enormous amount of data which are stored in
support data volume and velocity places that we do not even know, such as service
of transmission? providers' computers and servers globally. These data
Interface • Is the data portal accessible to are automatically created and captured while we
Design all stakeholders? participate in online activities, including, but not limit-
• Is the interface user friendly, ed to: taking courses, banking online, filing taxes,
easy to navigate, and usable?buying/ selling online, paying for dinners, going
Evaluation • How do we assess data quality? to doctors, etc. These data encompass much critical
• Who determines which data to information about our engagement, preferences, senti-
trust and use? ments, and other behavioral aspects in society.
• What happens when the data Corporations worldwide use these big data to improve
analysis yields flawed results? their customer service and attract new customers. This

Management • How much will it cost to is commonplace in business, and healthcare, and
implement a big data initiative? consumers are increasingly aware of this.
• Who will manage it? Even though we live in a physical world, behind the
• Who will be responsible for scenes, there is a virtual world where digital data are
security? automatically created and become a critical part of us.
• Is there a plan for handling data Hence, we become citizens of two worlds: a physical
breaches?
world and a virtual world. Data stored in the digital/
Resource • Do institutions have the resource virtual world can have tremendous implications on our
Support support - human and technical - lives in the physical world (Khan, 2015b). How useful
to facilitate the collection, storage, are these data? Are they beneficial or harmful? It all
analysis, and mining of big data? depends on who is using them and for what purposes.
Ethical • Are learners aware that their Big data can either be used responsibly or abused.
grades, interactions, and In education, the popularity of online courses includ-
behaviors are being collected? ing MOOCs are increasing, bringing more and more
• Can they opt out? learning into the digital environment (Corbeil, Corbeil,
• Are we violating privacy & Khan, 2015). These courses generate enormous
guidelines by not informing
amounts of data. Can we use big data to improve edu-
learners in advance?
cation and training? Yes, we can, only when we are able
• How do we guarantee student
to select necessary and relevant data, and analyze them
anonymity?
appropriately with a valid methodology. Data analytics
Institutional • Who owns the data?
can help institutions to develop the most strategic and
• Who decides how it is used?
persuasive approach to enhance learning environ-
• How do we ensure due process
when data-driven errors are ments, which in turn contribute to a greater return-of-
investment for both individuals and institutions.
uncovered?
• What policies are in place to However, failure to differentiate between sorely need-
address errors? ed, relevant data and unnecessary, irrelevant data may
lead to unintended setbacks.
In order to identify relevant data and develop appro-
help stakeholders make appropriate decisions for
priate strategies for enhancing education and training,
improving targeted deficiencies as needed. it is very important to focus on those data that are
critical for meaningful learning environments.
In summary, this Framework serves as a diagnostic tool

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 Table 2. Quality Assurance Summary for identifying and addressing big data issues.

^ Quality Assurance Rating

Dimensions Issues or Questions ^

Target Ongoing Not Met

Pedagogical

Technological

Interface Design

Evaluation

Management

Resource Support

Ethical

Institutional

As
Gudivada, V. N. (this issue). Cognitive analytics as driver of s
personalized learning.
bene
Ifenthaler, D. (2015, May). Learning analytics: Benefits and
e-lea
challenges for higher education; https: //cou nei Icomm u nity.
ful
com /20 1 5/05/23/learning-analytics-benefits-and-challenges-
thou
for-higher-education .
all a
Khan, B. H. (2001). A framework for Web-based learning. In
make informed decisions on how to move forward.* □
B. H. Khan (Ed.), Web-based training. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Educational Technology Publications.
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