Abstract
In the higher education context, an increasing concern on the technical or instrumental approach permeates attention to academics’ data literacies and faculty development. The need for data literacy to deal specifically with the rise of learning analytics in higher education has been raised by some authors, though in spite of some focus on the need to develop academics’ data literacy to embrace fair practices, this literature is often also rooted in a technical or data-driven perspective. In this paper, the authors summarize an empirical study based on 137 articles using the terms “data literacy,” “teachers,” and “faculty development,” spanning from 2014 and 2019. The findings point out that out of the total, 78 papers reviewed took an instrumental, data science-focused perspective on data literacy, were the technical abilities like extracting data and interpreting or reporting appropriately (authors, in press). Data safety and effective data management perspectives accounted for another 35 of the 137 articles. Only seven took up data literacy from a critical perspective, while only five looked at the pedagogical practice. These preliminary findings require awareness and discussion on the light of appropriate faculty development approaches and activities. We introduce some recommendations aimed at understanding data as a complex emerging phenomenon in our societies, which requires building the literacies to face their negative effects like data surveillance and algorithmic biases, but also, to uncover its emancipatory power.
Highlights
Digital technologies and data systems are increasingly pervasive in contemporary society
From “smart” thermostats through web tracking and the analytics collected by institutional content management systems, datafication capacity surrounds us in daily life, in higher education, and beyond
We overview our research into how the concept of data literacy circulates in contemporary literature and explore paths towards development of more complex and critical understandings of datafication among educators
Summary
Digital technologies and data systems are increasingly pervasive in contemporary society. We overview our research into how the concept of data literacy circulates in contemporary literature and explore paths towards development of more complex and critical understandings of datafication among educators.
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