The field of learning analytics is rapidly developing techniques for using data captured during online learning. In this article, we develop an additional application: the use of analytics for improving implementation fidelity in a randomized controlled efficacy trial. In an efficacy trial, the goal is to determine whether an innovation has a…

The Big Data movement and the renewed focus on data analytics are transforming everything from healthcare delivery systems to the way cities deliver services to residents. Now is the time to examine how this Big Data could help build smarter universities. While much of the cutting-edge research that is being done with Big Data is happening at…

Professional development is a recognized approach to improving the quality of instruction in schools. The goal of professional development is to increase teachers' knowledge and improve their practices, which lead to enhanced student learning. The problem with providing staff development is the high cost incurred by presenters' fees, and…

We present findings from case study analyses at five exemplary calculus programs at US institutions that offer a doctoral degree in mathematics. Understanding the features that characterize exemplary calculus programs at doctoral degree granting institutions is particularly important because the vast majority of STEM graduates come from such…

Communicators create clear engagement strategies and compelling messages, relentlessly reaching out using the latest tools, tactics and techniques. But many communicators are not sure whether those efforts are penetrating or engaging key audiences, particularly with the fire hose of information flooding through emails and mainstream and social…

Big Data are structured, semi-structured, unstructured, and raw data that are revolutionizing how we think about and use information in the 21st century. Big Data represents a paradigm shift from our prior use of traditional data assets over the past 30+ years, such as numeric and textual data, to generating and accessing petabytes and beyond of…

In this commentary, Peter Smith questions how well we follow up after school shootings in order to diagnose causes and enhance future prevention. Sommer, Leuschner, and Scheithauer (2014) have assembled data from 126 cases available in the English and German research literature and suggested important risk categories. Notably, there are a large…

There are many different aspects of statistics. Statistics involves mathematics, computing, and applications to almost every field of endeavour. Each aspect provides an opportunity to spark someone's interest in the subject. In this paper we discuss some ethical aspects of statistics, and describe how an introduction to ethics has been…

The Tukey mean-difference plot, also called the Bland-Altman plot, is a recognized graphical tool in the exploration of biometrical data. We show that this technique deserves a place on an introductory statistics course by encouraging students to think about the kind of graph they wish to create, rather than just creating the default graph for the…

The new data sciences of education bring substantial legal, political, and ethical questions about the management of information about learners. This piece provides a synoptic view of recent scholarly discussion in this domain and calls for a proactive approach to the ethics of learning research.

Multilevel data are very common in educational research. Hierarchical linear models/linear mixed-effects models (HLMs/LMEs) are often utilized to analyze multilevel data nowadays. This paper discusses the problems of utilizing ordinary regressions for modeling multilevel educational data, compare the data analytic results from three regression…

In this article, the authors present two models of intensive instruction for students with and without disabilities who are having difficulties with Response to Intervention (RTI) currently in practice (Tier 1: general instruction that all students receive in mainstream classrooms, and Tier 2: programs often involving small group instruction). The…

Rapidly growing within academic libraries, library data services have often been focused on assessing research trends and building partnerships outside the library. There are distinct benefits, however, to using data audit methodologies created for these external assessments of researcher practices inside the library as well. In this article, we…

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) methods are used extensively in the field of assessment and evaluation. Due to EFA's widespread use, common methods and practices have come under close scrutiny. A substantial body of literature has been compiled highlighting problems with many of the methods and practices used in EFA, and, in response, many…

This study examined if there was a relationship between the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of students and their decisions to enroll and persist in General Education Development (GED) programs in the State of Alabama. The Learning Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SQR-L), a 13 question Likert scale questionnaire, was used to survey students for…