Month: February 2022

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Education is changing, and with change comes a responsibility to make strategic decisions about where the future of education is heading. Data has been used to drive improvements and planning in school systems since the 1970’s (Massell, 2001, as cited in Marsh et al, 2006). Recently, more and more institutions have employed learning analytics and the use of data to assist in navigating challenges faced by a changing educational landscape.

The amount of data collection is staggering. Information on enrolment, curriculum development, student performance, and student satisfaction, to name a few, are collected from teachers, students, principles, and administrators at a startling rate; you name it, someone is collecting data on it somewhere. But where does all this data go? And is it driving change in the right way?

There are many things to consider when interpreting and using data:

1. Who are we collecting data from? There is an argument that data used to drive change should be obtained from the people who are affected by the change, those who are in a position to provide the most reliable, relevant data or who have insight into the issue being examined. There are however, moral issues to consider when obtaining data from a student group, especially in the field of healthcare. This has led many institutions to create policies addressing the collection and use of data for learning analytics.
2. Is the data representative of the question asked?  For example, when obtaining data on performance, do test scores accurately reflect students’ knowledge, or does it reflect the curriculum objectives? (Marsh et al, 2006). Data collection is only useful if it is done with purpose (Zettelmeyer, 2015).
3. Is the data recent and applicable to the current situation? Data collection takes time and can be less useful when used to make decisions that need to be made swiftly or in response to a change in the environment.  Time lag between data collection, processing, and application can create a mismatch between data and decision making (Marsh et al, 2006).

In my field of healthcare, there are many privacy concerns that arise when collecting data, especially personal data. To facilitate the development of ‘better business’ in teaching healthcare, it is important to have privacy policies in place surrounding the collection of data. The results of data driven change is also important to include when developing change. Reviewing the results of data driven change ensures the change is actually working.

Ultimately, choosing the problems that need to be solved is important, but the data collected has to match the specific problem needing to be solved. As stated by Zettelmeyer (2015, para 13), all data needs to be viewed with caution as “analytics is no substitute for understanding the business.”

 

References:

Zettelmeyer, F. (2015, May 1). A leader’s guide to data analytics. KelloggInsight. A Leader’s Guide to Data Analysis: A working knowledge of data science can help you lead with confidence. [Blog post].

Marsh, J., Pane, J., & Hamilton, L., (2006). Making Sense of Data-Driven Decision Making in Education: Evidence from Recent RAND Research. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.

 

 

A leader is commonly thought of as an inspiring individual who will rally their team, support the members, and move everyone towards progress. A leader can lead a team or group of people, such as a political figure or head of an organization, or a leader can be an individual in a field, such as healthcare or education. In education, multiple leadership theories have yet to define what creates a successful leader, or for that matter, what leadership is (Workman et al, 2012). Specifically for digital learning environments, characteristics of a leader are many, and we must first look at what leadership is defined as in this field. Workman et al (2012) argue that the definition of true leadership is defined by the outcomes rather than the inputs. If the measurement of leadership in digital learning environments is the outcome, one can assume a good leader must be able to achieve progress. To avoid a tangly mess of definitions, I will move forward with my own perspective on leadership in the field of education specifically in digital learning environments. To me, a leader in digital learning environments means a key player in the field of technological education.

Digital learning environments (DLE’s) are dynamic. Constant reflection, learning, and self development are required to simply remain current in the field. To be a leader you need to be the tip of the spear, innovating, developing, and providing a path for others to follow and expand upon. Reflective leadership can lead to new insights, improved organizational performance, and is often associated with good judgement and wisdom (Castelli, 2016). Reflective leaders trust their own intuition and are often good problem solvers and critical thinkers, internal qualities that are just as important in a leader as external qualities such as knowledge or experience (Castelli, 2016). In DLE’s, I believe a reflective leader will be more mindful of their thought process and able to see success or failure as a process not an isolated event. Reflecting on the developments or changes in the field of DLE’s allows the leader to move towards successful progress, and therefore, be more apt to create more successes in the future.

Not all qualities of a successful leader are as retroactive as reflection. A leader in DLE’s also needs to be innovative. Understanding the needs of the digital environment helps to develop innovative solutions, but sometimes success comes from left field. A visionary leader develops a new ‘story’ that can be conveyed to others, fostering inspiration and personal drive (Gardner, 2011, as cited in Workman et al, 2012). Innovation is required to see changes that need to happen in the field of education and DLE’s.  “If there is no grand vision upon which to base change in education, little will happen (Workman et al, 2012, p.320). Innovation in a leader can lead to new perspectives on challenges within the field of education and possibly new solutions.

The most important characteristics for leadership in digital learning environments are reflection and innovation. Workman et al (2012) discuss the importance of innovation in leadership to facilitate and support change, the need for reflection to support personal transformation, without such, leadership is simply put, management (p321). If the goal is to remain constant, then management is required; if growth is required, leadership is required. DLE’s require leaders who are innovative, reflective, and visionary to drive change in education, especially digital learning education environments.

 

 

References:

Castelli, P. A. (2016). Reflective leadership review: A framework for improving organisational performance. The Journal of Management Development, 35(2), 217-236. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JMD-08-2015-0112

Workman, T., & Cleveland-Innes, M. (2012). Leadership, personal transformation, and management. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 13(4), 313-323. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v13i4.1383