Linked Data increases the value of an organisation's data over the web by introducing explicit and machine processable links at the data level. We have adopted this new stream of data representation to produce and expose existing data within The Open University (OU) as Linked Data. We present in this paper our approach for producing the data,…

Statistical reasoning focuses on properties that belong not to individual data values but to the entire aggregate. We analyze students' statements from three different sources to explore possible building blocks of the idea of data as aggregate and speculate on how young students go about putting these ideas together. We identify four general…

This paper is in the form of a reflective discussion of the collection of papers in this Special Issue on "Statistical reasoning: learning to reason from samples" drawing on deliberations arising at the Seventh International Collaboration for Research on Statistical Reasoning, Thinking, and Literacy (SRTL7). It is an important part of…

This paper introduces and explores the concept of "salutogenesis" as a way of interpreting school leadership research and its findings in two significant areas: its effect on student outcomes and the motivation of incumbents. In its original setting, salutogenesis describes an approach that focuses on health, rather than on disease, but…

This article considers recent public debates about massive open online courses (MOOCs) and their potential to transform higher education. Drawing on reports and media commentary, it probes the claims and counterclaims of MOOC proponents and MOOC sceptics. It considers the implications for students, governments, institutions and scholars…

In China, microblogging is an extremely popular activity and is proving to be an effective mechanism to gauge perceptions about social phenomena. Between 2010 and 2015 Sina Weibo, China's largest microblogging website, generated 95,015 postings from 62,074 users referencing the term massive open online courses (MOOCs), a method of online course…

A lot of students learn spreadsheet management before database management. Their similarities can cause a lot of negative effects when learning database management. In this article, we consider these similarities and explain what can cause problems. First, we analyse the basic concepts such as table, database, row, cell, reference, etc. Then, we…

An important assumption of item response theory is item parameter invariance. Sometimes, however, item parameters are not invariant across different test administrations due to factors other than sampling error; this phenomenon is termed item parameter drift. Several methods have been developed to detect drifted items. However, most of the…

Forced-choice ipsative data are common in personality, philosophy and other preference-based studies. However, this type of data inherently contains dependencies that are challenging for usual statistical analysis. In order to utilize the structure of the data as a guide for analysis rather than as a challenge to manage, a visualisation tool was…

The author became aware of the extraordinary influence of the Problem Oriented Veterinary Medical Record (POVMR) system while working on a dissertation of an ethnographic study of literacy at a veterinary college. However, finding literature on advanced literacies in the profession that touched on how a text type could have such an influence was…

Everyone with a stake in education--especially parents--should understand the value of data and how they can benefit their children's education. But most people aren't hearing from their schools, districts, and states about how those data are being used and how their children's and family's privacy is being protected. Communicating clearly about…

Collecting information via time-lapse photography is nothing new. Scientists and artists have been using this kind of data since the late 1800s. However, my research and experiments with time-lapse have shown that great potential may lie in its application to educational and social scientific research methods. This article is part history, part…

We propose relational data modeling as a tool for replacing the ad hoc and uncoordinated approaches commonly used throughout the social sciences to gather, store, and disseminate data. We demonstrate relational data modeling using global electoral and political institutional data. We define a relational data model as a map of concepts, their…

Digital learning games are useful educational tools with high motivational potential. With the application of games for instruction there comes the need of acknowledging learning game experiences also in the context of educational assessment. Learning analytics provides new opportunities for supporting assessment in and of educational games. We…

Guidelines to inform research evidence standards have acknowledged that there is currently no agreed-upon method for treatment effect size estimation in single-case research. This study has examined the application of treatment effect size calculations to supplement visual analysis in single-case research designs (SCD) for participants with autism…