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6 of the best higher ed articles on Big Data

Learn more about Big Data in higher education by reading these top 6 articles.

data-big-popular [1]Big Data’s role in higher education is changing rapidly, with some colleges and universities investing millions into analyzing data while other remain skeptical of Big Data’s transformational power.

See the below stories for the latest and most important Big Data story lines in recent months, and please feel free to leave a comment telling us how your campus is — or isn’t — using data to streamline learning and cut costs.

1. IBM tool tests ‘Big Data’ students’ preparedness [2]

IBM has, in the past year, increasingly pushed universities to create more courses, programs and degrees that would help fill the 4.4 million jobs “Big Data” will create by 2015. Now, the company is asking: are students in these programs actually prepared? Read the full story here [2].

2. Improving student feedback with Big Data [3]

Officials at Bond University, a private institution in Queensland, Australia, announced in October that the school would use an advanced analytics tool to sift through student evaluation forms and determine the most pressing issues among the campus population. Continue reading the full article here [3].

3. Obama campaign tech chief denounces ‘Big Data’ [4]

Harper Reed, who recently launched a mobile technology startup in Chicago after serving as chief technology officer for Obama’s 2012 campaign, said Oct. 29 at the State University of New York’s (SUNY) “Building a Smarter University” conference that universities’ focus on collecting and analyzing reams of data is “bulls***.” Get the full story here [4].

4. Big Data used to beef up campus security [5]

Purdue University students have developed a software program that uses Big Data to help police target where crime could happen. The program, called “Valet,” took more than four years to develop. It’s already being deployed to police agencies in several states. Read the entire story here [5].

5. The 5 most important kinds of Big Data in higher education [6]

The storing, management, and security of Big Data is of paramount importance to colleges and universities, with many schools using the reams of student data to stem dropout rates and identify at-risk students, among other uses. Find out the most important types of Big Data here [6].

6. UC Irvine researchers create Big Data management tool [7]

Managing Big Data can be a big headache. The amount of information people can access online is constantly growing. In fact, with every day that passes another 2.5 quintillion bytes of online information is created. This data can be used to find patterns in student learning, help quickly diagnose patients and track consumer trends. Get the full scoop here [7].

Educators can connect on Twitter using the hashtag #eCNBigData [8].