EDF5771 · Digital data in education

Overview

This unit explores a range of theoretical and practical issues arising from the growing importance of data in education. The unit is designed regardless of your level of familiarity with the topic. Data is understood broadly and includes a variety of approaches based on quantification, prediction and automation (i.e. Artificial Intelligence and automated decision-making). In this sense, the unit is organised around types of data as ‘case studies’ and for each one it asks a number of critical and practical questions: why is this data being collected? By whom (or what) is it being collected and then analysed? What are its outputs? Who is supposed to benefit from these outputs? What pedagogical or administrative decisions can be automated as a result? How can a non-specialist educator enhance her/his professional practice by engaging with these data and the associated technologies?

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. evaluate critically the strengths and weaknesses of data-based technologies (including AI and various types of automation) and their impact on your professional practice
2. engage with debates currently occurring at the intersection of academic research, education policy and industry
3. use conceptual and practical strategies to engage productively (as a non-expert) with data-based and automation technologies currently used in schools as well as those that are more accessible
4. be familiar with some essential concepts such as data representation and abstraction, as well as key principles of computation.

Workload

The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per teaching period comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Usually, you can expect to engage with: • 12 hours of scheduled learning delivered on campus via weekly/regular directed learning activities, 12 hours of scheduled learning delivered online via a combination of synchronous and asynchronous directed learning activities, and the remaining hours to be allocated towards self-directed/independent study OR • 24 hours of scheduled learning delivered online via a combination of synchronous and asynchronous directed learning activities, and the remaining hours to be allocated towards self-directed/independent study^ ^ International students studying in Australia are not permitted to undertake this scheduled learning delivery mode. Scheduled learning activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.