B ig D ata and analytics in higher education: Opportunities and challenges

In order to progress in a data-driven society, higher education institutions should strive to integrate learning analytics into their strategic and operational activities. The purpose of this paper is to propose the Higher Education Learning Analytics Capability Maturity Model (HELA-CMM), a capability maturity model for adoption of learning analytics in higher education institutions. The development of the HELA-CMM was based on design science research paradigm and a procedural model for maturity models design. After conducting an extended literature review, a combination of nominal group techniques and focus group were used. The subject-matter experts participating in a nominal focus group elaborated on the structure and evaluated relative importance of its categories and capabilities utilizing the pairwise comparison technique. The proposed maturity model comprises 28 capabilities grouped into eight categories: (1) Teaching / Learning / Assessment, (2) Data Management and Analytics, (3) Ethics, Privacy, Legal Issues, (4) People Competences, (5) Management / Leadership, (6) Culture, (7) Infrastructure, and (8) Quality Assurance. The maturity model will be further developed through an iterative process and evaluated at several higher education institutions in Europe. With the HELA-CMM, higher education institutions will have a tool that on the one hand enables benchmarking and assessment, and on the other hand provides guidance for improving the maturity of learning analytics adoption.

Purpose The analysis of data collected from user interactions with educational and information technology has attracted much attention as a promising approach to advancing our understanding of the learning process. This promise motivated the emergence of the field of learning analytics and supported the education sector in moving toward data-informed strategic decision making. Yet, progress to date in embedding such data-informed processes has been limited. The purpose of this paper is to address a commonly posed question asked by educators, managers, administrators and researchers seeking to implement learning analytics – how do we start institutional adoption of learning analytics? Design/methodology/approach A narrative review is performed to synthesize the existing literature on learning analytics adoption in higher education. The synthesis is based on the established models for the adoption of business analytics and finding two projects performed in Australia and Europe to develop and evaluate approaches to adoption of learning analytics in higher education. Findings The paper first defines learning analytics and touches on lessons learned from some well-known case studies. The paper then reviews the current state of institutional adoption of learning analytics by examining evidence produced in several studies conducted worldwide. The paper next outlines an approach to learning analytics adoption that could aid system-wide institutional transformation. The approach also highlights critical challenges that require close attention in order for learning analytics to make a long-term impact on research and practice of learning and teaching. Originality/value The paper proposed approach that can be used by senior leaders, practitioners and researchers interested in adoption of learning analytics in higher education. The proposed approach highlights the importance of the socio-technical nature of learning analytics and complexities pertinent to innovation adoption in higher education institutions.

Potential benefits of learning analytics (LA) for improving students’ performance, predicting students’ success, and enhancing teaching and learning practice have increasingly been recognized in higher education. However, the adoption of LA in higher education institutions (HEIs) to date remains sporadic and predominantly small in scale due to several socio-technical challenges. To better understand why HEIs struggle to scale LA adoption, it is needed to untangle adoption challenges and their related factors. This paper presents the findings of a study that sought to investigate the associations of adoption factors with challenges HEIs face in the adoption of LA and how these associations are compared among HEIs at different scopes of adoption. The study was based on a series of semi-structured interviews with senior managers in HEIs. The interview data were thematically analysed to identify the main challenges in LA adoption. The connections between challenges and other factors related to LA adoption were analysed using epistemic network analysis (ENA). From senior managers’ viewpoints, ethical issues of informed consent and resistance culture had the strongest links with challenges of learning analytic adoption in HEI; this was especially true for those institutions that had not adopted LA or who were in the initial phase of adoption (i.e., preparing for or partially implementing LA). By contrast, among HEIs that had fully adopted LA, the main challenges were found to be associated with centralized leadership, gaps in the analytic capabilities, external stakeholders, and evaluations of technology. Based on the results, we discuss implications for LA strategy that can be useful for institutions at various stages of LA adoption, from early stages of interest to the full adoption phase.

The relevance of the research is due to the coverage of the problem of European integration practice of consulting activities in higher education institutions. The introduction to the article reveals that the problem of development of the higher education system, provision of quality educational services, and promotion of competitiveness of national higher education institutions is a priority at the stage of Ukraine’s integration into the European Union. The purpose of the study is to determine the peculiarities of the European integration practice of consulting activities in European and domestic higher education institutions. The article uses the following research methods: comparative and systemic analysis, content analysis, problem-predictive method to substantiate the European integration practice of consulting activities in higher education institutions of Ukraine and the specifics of consulting activities in higher education institutions of European countries. On the basis of a comparative analysis of the carried out studies and modern European sources, the European integration policy of consulting practice for higher education institutions is characterised. The article examines innovative legislative and institutional acts in the higher education system, regulatory documents and official websites of educational institutions, and summarises approaches to consulting activities. The results of the study show that consulting activities are carried out in research institutions of higher education and scientific institutions where there is financial support from central government agencies, in accordance with the conceptual state targeted development programmes. It is determined that the undoubted trend of consulting activity is its uniqueness, which is determined by the design of this process, correlates with the mission and vision of the higher education institution. It is found that among the offers in the educational market of consulting services that correlate professional support for pedagogical, scientific and pedagogical staff, university managers, as well as stakeholders, there are consulting centres (departments, services, laboratories, hubs, etc.) that support the processes of administration and management in higher education institutions. The author examines the official websites of educational institutions and finds that consulting activities are mostly aimed at supporting and improving the professional level of the subjects of the educational process. The findings of the study suggest that not all higher education institutions carry out consulting activities, including the absence of consulting centres, virtual communities and platforms for information and feedback, research laboratories, etc. Based on the results of the analysis of European and domestic higher education institutions, the author identifies key problematic issues that hinder the development of consulting activities in them.

The current state and trends in the development of the higher education system have been analyzed in accordance with the Strategy for the Development of Higher Education in Ukraine for 2022-2032. It has been determined that the vector for the internationalization of higher education in Ukraine involves the implementation of international projects by higher education institutions in order to meet the requirements for the recognition of Ukrainian educational qualifications in Europe and the world, the implementation of foreign educational experience, ensuring the dynamic growth of the number of foreign students in Ukraine and the adaptation of graduates of higher education institutions to life and work in a multicultural environment. It has been defined that the implementation of the project management methodology is an effective tool for accomplishing the set aims. At the same time, it was found that scientific papers do not pay enough attention to international projects in higher education institutions, namely, conducting an educational program for foreign students to obtain a bachelor's, master's or PhD degree, and therefore further research should be conducted to develop new tools for the successful implementation of these projects in contemporary realities. In addition, the theoretical and methodological foundations of international project management in higher education institutions have been described and typical forms of relevant projects have been specified. It was emphasized that in the presentday realities, the use of IT technologies and the principles of distributed teams are important aspects for the successful implementation of international projects. Stakeholders of typical international projects of providing educational programs to foreign students by higher education institutions have been identified. It has been noted that in order to reduce the risk of international projects, there is a necessity to identify and consider the differences in mentality and culture of the stakeholders in several projects, at the same time measures to conduct an analysis of cross-cultural differences have been proposed.

The book aims to advance global knowledge and practice in applying data science to transform higher education learning and teaching to improve personalization, access and effectiveness of education for all. Currently, higher education institutions and involved stakeholders can derive multiple benefits from educational data mining and learning analytics by using different data analytics strategies to produce summative, real-time, and predictive or prescriptive insights and recommendations. Educational data mining refers to the process of extracting useful information out of a large collection of complex educational datasets while learning analytics emphasizes insights and responses to real-time learning processes based on educational information from digital learning environments, administrative systems, and social platforms. This volume provides insight into the emerging paradigms, frameworks, methods and processes of managing change to better facilitate organizational transformation toward implementation of educational data mining and learning analytics. It features current research exploring the (a) theoretical foundation and empirical evidence of the adoption of learning analytics, (b) technological infrastructure and staff capabilities required, as well as (c) case studies that describe current practices and experiences in the use of data analytics in higher education.

Today in the global world economic crisis and pandemic of Covid/SARS-19, question of development and functioning of the controlled from distance student studies institutions of higher education, is actual as never. Crisis of Covid-19 except the World pandemic inflicted a sledge-hammer blow on the economy of institutions of higher education, they suffered the most serious financial character. Insufficient level of providing of realization of researches, imperfection of organizational structure and organization of management scientific and scientific and technical activity in institutions of higher education is stipulate the necessity of revision and improvement of existent control system by scientific projects in institutions of higher education with the specific terms of educating. The method of distribution of scientific project is reasonable authors between the scientific collectives of establishments of education that takes into account the skilled providing and loading of performers not only, and has a mechanism of estimation of successful implementation of project in general. Envisaged possibility of estimation of both static and dynamic constituent of scientific potential of institutions of higher education, as an index of firmness and development of organization, taking into account the personal achievements of employees of educational institutions of higher education. Economic method of distribution of bonus fund of employees on results implementation of scientific projects in educational institutions of higher education, as an additional motivational lever of influence on certain project. By authors certainly as an additional motivational instrument, worked out method of distribution of bonus fund on results implementation of scientific projects in educational institutions of higher education, that allows to take into account the personal deposit of performers, command of project, necessary resources in the conditions of vagueness. The mechanism of stimulation in the conditions of specific limitations allows to perfect the system of bonuses of educational personnel, and to differentiate scientific personnel with by the use of facilities of project management.

Today, the existence of independent Ukraine as a civilized country with a European vector of development is under threat. For higher education, the problem of training qualified specialists capable of rebuilding the agricultural sector of our country is extremely acute. After all, military aggression led to the loss of human potential, including the displacement of participants in the educational process within Ukraine and abroad (more than 2,000 educational institutions were damaged by bombings and shelling, more than 200 of them were completely destroyed); among pupils/students and teachers/teachers there are killed and wounded (since the beginning of the war, as of mid-August 2022, 361 children died and 711 were wounded; more than 8 million people crossed Ukraine). A significant number of higher education institutions were completely or partially destroyed (as of July 22, 2022, 7 institutions of higher education and 9 institutions of professional pre-higher education were completely destroyed, 46 institutions of higher and postgraduate pedagogical education, 69 institutions of professional pre-higher education were damaged. The greatest destruction and damage was experienced by institutions of higher education and professional pre-higher education of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia regions. Part of the students lost full access to educational resources, although in the majority of institutions the educational process during the period of martial law was organized in the form of distance learning.Higher agricultural education also suffered significant losses. In order to organize safe education, universities were relocated from the occupied territories, including agricultural higher education institutions: Dmytro Motornyi Tavri State University of Agrotechnology, Luhansk National Agrarian University (joined to Volodymyr Dal East Ukrainian National University by a separate order of the Ministry); Kherson State Agrarian and Economic University, etc. Therefore, we consider it urgent to search for innovative ways of high-quality professional training of future specialists during the war and after its end in Ukraine. The subject of the research is designing the content of education in crisis situations.Overcoming the crisis in higher education caused by the war requires decisive action. Therefore, when developing educational resources, university teachers should focus on the Strategy for the Development of Higher Education in Ukraine for 2022–2032 and the Operational Plan for its Implementation in 2022–2024. This strategic document defines the priorities of the higher education system at the current stage of development of society and the country's economy, as well as the main characteristics that will be formed by 2032. The goals and objectives of the Strategy are a detailed road map for rebuilding and continuing the reform of the higher education system in the post-war period. Completing the tasks defined by the Strategy will reduce the destructive consequences caused by the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on the territory of independent Ukraine.Modern realities require changes in the organization of the educational process in higher education. The purpose of the article is to study the conceptual foundations of designing the content of higher education, taking into account the peculiarities of the educational process in crisis conditions.The research methodology is based on basic research in the philosophy, pedagogy and psychology of professional education; the general psycho-pedagogical theory of learning and cognition, in particular about the relationship between theory and practice; on the conceptual positions of pedagogy and psychology regarding the role of computer-oriented methods, means and forms of education in the professional training of future specialists in higher education, on person-oriented, systemic, integrative and professional approaches to teaching and education of students of higher education institutions. To solve the research tasks, the study used a complex: theoretical – analysis of philosophical, pedagogical, psychological, methodical literature and information resources of the Internet, which highlight the problems of forming the content of education in the process of professional training of future specialists; analysis of domestic and foreign experience and conceptual approaches to the study of this problem; analysis of the peculiarities of the educational process in crisis conditions.Conclusions. The war has intensified and expanded the challenges already facing education due to the COVID-19 epidemic. For the Ukrainian educational system, this test became a kind of incentive that opened a window of new opportunities, becoming a catalyst for long-overdue modernization changes in education. First of all, it is about the development of digital and distance education, in particular online. In accordance with these forms of education, the content of education should be adapted. When designing the content of higher education, it is necessary to take into account the integrative nature of modern educational disciplines, their purposeful orientation towards holistic and systematic preparation for professional activity. One of the important conditions for designing the content of education is to take into account the needs of the labor market in our country in the near future and focus on Ukraine's entry into the European educational space.

‘We’re Being Tracked at All Times’: Student Perspectives of Their Privacy in Relation to Learning Analytics in Higher Education

The paper summarizes the experience in higher education institutions financing, substantiates the trends in their financial support models diversification. The study systematizes approaches to the organization of higher education institutions financing under market conditions and reveals their advantages and disadvantages in terms of the effects at the level of an individual and society as a whole. It defines tools and models of the financing under orientation on demand, supply and strategic purposes of the national development. The study proves the need to substantiate the rational balance of individual and social effects in higher education institutions financing, which can be achieved through a combination of market self-regulation and state regulation of the higher education services market. The system of methods was used in the study, namely: monographic – to define the research aim and conclusions, the method of theoretical generalization of foreign and domestic scientists was used to critically analyze the existing approaches to the organization of financing the work of agricultural education higher institutions. General scientific methods of cognition, such as analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, systemic integrated approach, were used to systematize the models of financial support for higher agricultural education institutions and to generalize the conclusions. The paper substantiated that the state should take leading positions in higher education institutions financing. The role of state funding in ensuring sustainable development of agricultural education higher institutions has been identified considering the specificity of educational services and their role in ensuring sustainable development of the agricultural sector of the economy and rural areas. It is argued that the current conditions of free economic development and challenges the institutions face requires focusing on consumer demand and adjusting their educational services through prompt updating the changing educational programs based on modern research, attracting a larger number of stakeholders in the financing model formation. The modern tendencies typical of the market of educational services determining the expansion of the participants of the organization of financing the higher education institutions activity, are considered. The importance of financing elements focused on the innovations development, the role of which will grow in the future, especially in the form of competitive and targeted financing is revealed. It is proved that the results-based approach to the organization of financing also reduces the risks of macroeconomic inefficiency and contributes to reducing the information asymmetry. The obligatory presence of the state in the organization of research funding in higher education institutions is justified due to the positive impact of research on educational services quality and increases their value for an individual and society. The paper considers options for market-oriented higher education financing and the state's demands in terms of the concept of management, public and private funding methods, the education fee. It is established that the changing conditions of the market of educational services require a revision of targets for state funding due to the following factors: increased number of foreign students, use of information and communication technologies, increase in the integration of higher education institutions nationally and internationally. Key words: higher education institution, higher agricultural education, concepts of higher education institution management, methods of free economic education financing, sources of higher education institutions financing.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for utilizing Six Sigma (SS) principles and Big Data analytics at a US public university for the improvement of student success. This research utilizes findings from the Gallup index to identify performance factors of higher education. The goal is to offer a reimagined SS DMAIC methodology that incorporates Big Data principles.Design/methodology/approachThe authors utilize a conceptual research design methodology based upon theory building consisting of discovery, description, explanation of the disciplines of SS and Big Data.FindingsThe authors have found that the interdisciplinary approach to SS and Big Data may be grounded in a framework that reimagines the define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) methodology that incorporates Big Data principles. The authors offer propositions of SS DMAIC to be theory tested in subsequent study and offer the practitioner managing the performance of higher education institutions (HEIs) indicators and examples for managing the student success mission of the organization.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited to conceptual research design with regard to the SS and Big Data interdisciplinary research. For performance management, this study is limited to HEIs and non-FERPA student data. Implications of this study include a detailed framework for conducting SS Big Data projects.Practical implicationsDevising a more effective management approach for higher education needs to be based upon student success and performance indicators that accurately measure and support the higher education mission. A proactive approach should utilize the data rich environment being generated. The individual that is most successful in engaging and managing this effort will have the knowledge and skills that are found in both SS and Big Data.Social implicationsHEIs have historically been significant contributors to the development of meritocracy in democratic societies. Due to a variety of factors, HEIs, especially publicly funded institutions, have been under stress due to a reduction of public funding, resulting in more limited access to the public in which they serve.Originality/valueThis paper examines Big Data and SS in interdisciplinary effort, an important contribution to SS but lacking a conceptual foundation in the literature. Higher education, as an industry, lacks penetration and adoption of continuous improvement efforts, despite being under tremendous cost pressures and ripe for disruption.

Data with high volume, velocity, variety and veracity brings the new experience curve of analytics. Big data in higher education comes from different sources that include blogs, social networks, student information systems, learning management systems, research, and other machine-generated data. Once the data is analysed it promises better student placement processes; more accurate enrolment forecasts, and early warning systems that identify and assist students at-risk of failing or dropping out. Big data is becoming a key to creating competitive advantages in higher education. Like with any organization, traditional data processing and analysis of structured and unstructured data using RDBMS and data warehousing no longer satisfy big data challenges. The lack of adequate conceptual architectures for big data tailored for institutions of higher education has led to many failures to produce meaningful, accessible, and timely information for decision making. Therefore, this calls for the development of conceptual architectures for big data in higher education. This paper presents an architecture for big data analytics in higher education.

Data-driven decision-making and data-intensive research are becoming prevalent in many sectors of modern society, i.e. healthcare, politics, business, and entertainment. During the COVID-19 pandemic, huge amounts of educational data and new types of evidence were generated through various online platforms, digital tools, and communication applications. Meanwhile, it is acknowledged that education lacks computational infrastructure and human capacity to fully exploit the potential of big data. This paper explores the use of Learning Analytics (LA) in higher education for measurement purposes. Four main LA functions in the assessment are outlined: (a) monitoring and analysis, (b) automated feedback, (c) prediction, prevention, and intervention, and (d) new forms of assessment. The paper concludes by discussing the challenges of adopting and upscaling LA as well as the implications for instructors in higher education.

The rapid recent use of learning analytics (LA) in higher education, specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic, allows the monitoring of users' behavior while learning. Using LA may promote students' learning outcomes but also intrude into their privacy. This study aimed to explore students’ behaviour and perceptions towards privacy and data protection when using LA for pedagogical needs, examine the privacy trade-off of students' willingness to share personal information in exchange for pedagogical benefits and understand the predicting variables for this privacy trade-off. A model was developed containing five groups of influencing variables (demographic data, perceptions, feelings, behaviour and awareness) on the privacy trade-off. A total of 1,014 students completed an online questionnaire. The results found that students do care about their privacy but are not aware of privacy and data protection regulations. They are willing to trade off privacy for pedagogical benefits, and they trust their academic institutions, but they want transparency. Age, a sense of security in the academic institution, behaviour, data misuse concern and institution management of students' personal information are the significant predictors for a privacy trade-off. It is important to engage students in the process as they are the main beneficiaries of LA and build trust between them and the institution. Implications for practice or policy: Academic institution should actively provide information to raise privacy awareness. Academic institutions should engage students in the process of using LA to create a high degree of trust. Universities should endorse LA policy, fostering it for pedagogical purposes. Instructors may utilise LA to enrich student learning, respecting their willingness to share pedagogical data. Academic institutions should provide a high level of transparency in order to build students’ trust in their institutions.

The history of women's engagement with the academy has been characterised by exclusion and inequality. Seven decades ago, Virginia Woolf1 asked: Do we want to join the procession or don't we? On wh...