Learning technologies are now commonplace in education, and generate large volumes of educational data. Scholars have argued that analytics can and should be employed to optimize learning and learning environments. This article explores what is really meant by "analytics", describes the current best-known examples of institutional…

Data-informed instructional methods offer tremendous promise for increasing the effectiveness of teaching, learning, and schooling. Yet-to-be-developed data science approaches have the potential to dramatically advance instruction for every student and to enhance learning for people of all ages. Next steps that emerged from a recent National…

Various types of structured data collected by learning management systems such as Moodle have been used to improve student learning outcomes. Learning analytics refers to an assortment of data analysis methods used for this task. These methods typically do not consider unstructured data such as blogs, discussions, e-mail, and course messages.…

The increasing availability of digital data in higher education provides an extraordinary resource for researchers to undertake educational research, targeted at understanding challenges facing the sector. Big data can stimulate new ways to transform processes relating to learning and teaching, and helps identify useful data, sources of evidence…

In response to the wide-scale proliferation of "the cone of learning"--a fanciful retention chart confounded with Dale's Cone of Experience--the authors make four major claims debunking this fantasy and provide documentary evidence to support these claims. The first claim is that the data in the mythical retention chart do not make…

Critics have been attempting to debunk the mythical retention chart at least since 1971. The earliest critics, David Curl and Frank Dwyer, were addressing just the retention data. Beginning around 2002, a new generation of critics has taken on the illegitimate combination of the retention chart and Edgar Dale's Cone of Experience--the corrupted…

The authors are attempting to set the record straight regarding the sources frequently cited in the literature of the mythical retention chart and the corrupted Dale's Cone. They point out citations that do not actually connect with relevant works; provide correct citations of sources that are often cited erroneously; add references for overlooked…

Presents a case for conducting exploratory rather than confirmatory research in generating hypotheses as opposed to testing them. Exploratory data analysis, the National Assessment Design, and the analysis of assessment data are explained. (RAO)

Article describes a new type of data display which responds to changes over time and through space. Graphic maps of behavior called SKEMS are capable of portraying the dynamics of behavior--the structure and pattern of relationships over time. (Author/HB)

Discusses the role of semiotics in instructional systems research, and examines the implications that a semiotic perspective yields for the research training provided to students in instructional systems. Research perspectives and methodologies are described, including differences in qualitative and quantitative research, and data analysis is…

Discusses searching techniques in print indexes and describes the development of computer-assisted search (CAS) services and CD-ROM systems that focus on education. The ERIC database and other databases for education-related information are described, advantages of online searching are discussed, and the question of who should conduct the search…

Administrator and teacher attitudes toward and trends in their use of various types of instructional materials were elicited through focus group interviews and a rating form. Results reported include discernable trends, suggestions for improvement in media use, ratings of instructional materials, and highlights of data analysis using various…

Describes the HyperCard program and explains HyperTalk, the programing language it uses. Implications of HyperCard for educational researchers are discussed, including software design and development, the concept of learner control, and computer-assisted instruction that incorporates videodiscs and CD-ROM. A case study using HyperCard in…

Microcomputer installation in schools has increased annually since 1983, and microcomputers are now utilized throughout Japan's educational system, both in elementary and secondary classrooms and for educational research. Most of the computer software used in computer-assisted instruction is acquired externally, as opposed to developing the…

Reports a study that investigated the interactions of selected learner aptitudes and two instructional treatments, the lecture method and a videotaped presentation. Learner aptitudes utilized in the study involved measures of seven cognitive factors, Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores, and the college grade point average (GPA). (Author)