Tag Archives: data analytics

New biological data and knowledge in education

Novel sources of data about the biological processes involved in learning are beginning to surface in research on education. As the sciences of the human body have been transformed by advances in computing power and data analysis, researchers have begun … Continue reading

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Pandemic privatization and digitalization in higher education

Ben Williamson and Anna Hogan The state of emergency in higher education systems around the world during the Covid-19 pandemic has opened up the sector to an expanding range of education technologies, commercial companies, and private sector ambitions. In our … Continue reading

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The social life of Artificial Intelligence in education

Ben Williamson Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become the subject of both hype and horror in education. During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, AI in education (AIed) attracted serious investor interest, market speculation, and enthusiastic technofuturist predictions. At the same time,  algorithms … Continue reading

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Datafication and automation in higher education during and after the Covid-19 crisis

Ben Williamson Notes for a talk at the online webinar ‘Going Online During and After the Pandemic’ on 6 May 2020. Thanks to Mariya Ivancheva and Brian Garvey for the invitation.  Over the last five years or so, data analytics … Continue reading

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Learning from surveillance capitalism

Ben Williamson Surveillance capitalism combines data analytics, business strategy, and human behavioural experimentation. Image: “Fraction collector” by proteinbiochemist ‘Surveillance capitalism’ has become a defining concept for the current era of smart machines and Silicon Valley expansionism. With educational institutions and practices increasingly … Continue reading

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The mutating metric machinery of higher education

Ben Williamson Higher education increasingly depends on complex data systems to process and visualize performance metrics. Image by Dennis van Zuijlekom Contemporary culture is increasingly defined by metrics. Measures of quantitative assessment, evaluation, performance, and comparison infuse public services, commercial … Continue reading

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Personalized precision education and intimate data analytics

Ben Williamson The word ‘precision’ has become a synonym for the application of data to the analysis and treatment of a wide range of phenomena. ‘Precision medicine’ describes the use of detailed patient information to individualize treatment and prevention based … Continue reading

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Learning from psychographic personality profiling

Ben Williamson Contemporary education policy and practice is increasingly influenced by developments in data analytics. The big data analytics story of the year so far concerns the alleged ‘psychographic’ profiling techniques of data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica and its use … Continue reading

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10 definitions of datafication (in education)

Ben Williamson What is datafication? And how does it affect education? These questions were put to me ahead of conference discussion panel recently. While writing a few notes, it quickly became apparent I needed some categories to sort out my thinking. … Continue reading

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Learning machines

Ben Williamson When educators talk about theories of learning they are normally referring to psychological conceptions of human cognition and thinking. Current trends in machine learning, data analytics, deep learning, and artificial intelligence, however, complicate human-centred psychological accounts about learning. Today’s … Continue reading

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