Most distance learning institutions collect vast amounts of learning data. Making sense of this 'Big Data' can be a challenge, in particular when data are stored at different data warehouses and require advanced statistical skills to interpret complex patterns of data. As a leading institute on learning analytics, the Open University UK instigated…

Postsecondary student aid programs administered by the United States Office of Education (USOE) have helped many thousands of students to obtain an education they may not otherwise have received; however, some schools have engaged in questionable or abusive practices that have frustrated student attainment of the desirable educational goals…

This study, which examined the demographic and educational characteristics of students who leave school before completing the twelfth grade, aimed to identify descriptive and predictive data on the potential school dropout in the Pasco School District of Washington State. The project was conducted as an initial step toward developing a data…

This qualitative evaluation study described how instructional computing can be better used by a Texas intermediate education service agency. Open-ended questions were asked of the Education Service Center Staff. Products included identifying services available across the Center and compiling 60 suggested computer uses. The major finding was poor…

To assess the potential user population for Project TALENT data and to identify barriers to usage of the data for secondary analysis, a small telephone survey of leading large-scale survey researchers was undertaken. The survey was designed to elicit suggestions for strategies for reducing barriers to use of the data. Four levels of barrier were…

Presents examples from the University of Wisconsin-Extension of ways in which the computer can help extension personnel to better organize and use data in developing programs and in analyzing survey results and other data. (MF)

The main purpose in developing the "package" of computer programs described in this guide is to use the automated capability of computers in the enormous job of handling anthropological field data. It is held that ethnography may be threatened with absolescence simply becasue so many man hours are involved in filing and sorting these…

This brief, semi-technical handbook describes the various data systems of the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) with summaries of background, purpose and scope, sample design, data collection procedures, questionnaire content, data release, and data uses for individual NCHS surveys. NCHS operates a diverse survey and inventory program…

In a given urban area it is common that different public agencies and offices attempt to gather diverse data with no mutual coordination or awareness of each others' activities. This picture of varied and uncoordinated data needs reflects a lack of established information relationships and the need for an urban information system. In this study an…

The information needed by Congress and the U. S. Office of Education about vocational education and manpower training is discussed in terms of course information, student and trainee information, and professional personnel information. The data base consists of 38 nonaggregate data elements, and these are listed and described. The availability of…

The purpose of this study was to develop a plan for alleviating problems in the collection, processing, and dissemination of educational data as they affect the New York City Board of Education information requirements. The Data Base Management concept was used to analyze three topics: administration, structure, and standards. The study found that…

A planning and evaluation model for management information systems (MIS) at the institutional or system level in higher education is presented. The procedure provides an analytical approach for assessing the effectiveness of an existing information system utilizing a variation of the Business Systems Planning methodology developed by the IBM…

The Franklin Pierce School District, a semi-rural, semi-urban district located south of Tacoma, Washington, was one of the Experimental School Projects (ESP) initially funded by the National Institute of Education. The Franklin Pierce ESP provides an optimal learning environment for each student, with special emphasis placed upon transient,…

This report presents findings of a demonstration project that tested the concepts and applications of linking student records using social security numbers with state unemployment insurance (UI) wage and other data sources. It also contains information of value to policymakers, state and local administrators, practitioners, and consumers of…

The operation of computerized management information systems (MISs) for adult basic education in 27 states and 21 local programs was the focus of a research study. During 1991 and 1992, state adult education directors and MIS specialists were interviewed by telephone regarding MIS organization and content; local personnel were interviewed…