Governing by Data: Some Considerations on the Role of Learning Analytics in Education

Abstract

E-governance is growing in interest as a technique of decision making in the public domain. The technological revolution is, in fact, enabling governments to use a great variety of digital tools and data to manage more effectively all phases of the policy cycle process. Although still in its infancy, the use of big data is becoming a core element of the emergence of e-governance as a form of evidence-based policy making. We are assisting to the emergence of a form of governing by data, where governments will take more and more sensitive decisions through data mining systems. Education is one of the policy fields where the use of big data such as learning analytics is becoming crucial for funds allocation, institutional accountability, and programs review. This article briefly explores the scientific debate about analytics highlighting the role they should play in the educational datascape.