Big Data, Big Expectations

Big Data, Big Expectations A RESEARCH REPORT FROM THE CENTER FOR DIGITAL EDUCATION

THE PROMISE & PRACTICALITY OF BIG DATA FOR EDUCATION

DR. MARC HOIT, VICE CHANCELLOR FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CIO, NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

2

BIG DATA IS, IN MANY WAYS, ABOUT SOME VERY SMALL THINGS. Things like how one student

Center for Digital Education

Vice President, Strategic Programs

JOHN HALPIN

your school, district or institution.

hope this Special Report on Big Data will inform and offer suggestions on how to make those decisions for

hardware and professional development to help manage this data so students can reap the rewards. We

make this a reality, institutions need policies and operational plans that allow for investments in software,

data we generate. The challenge will be to convert that data into timely and effective learning actions. To

a role. As we incorporate more digital technology into every aspect of the school infrastructure, the more

management systems, student information systems and all sorts of campus management systems play

have never been more necessary and the tools to enable them have never been more at hand. Learning

possible. This requires a meld-lock between back-office systems and the classroom. Data-driven decisions

we must provide content and instructional methodologies that are as personalized for each student as

requires two things: First, we must enable student access to real-world issues and applications; second,

delivery systems. Making instruction and learning experiences relevant

infused education is becoming more heavily reliant upon big data and data

ONE OF THE MAJOR THEMES in our Special Reports is how technology-

Center for Digital Education

Publisher, Special Reports

LEILANI CAUTHEN

occur. We hope you enjoy this in-depth look at big data in this Special Report.

a big difference when it sheds light on even the smallest of changes that need to

such as financials, grant tracking or other enterprise statistics. But it still makes

and could be at risk of dropping out. Big data isn’t always about the big things,

testing results come back. Or the fact that a college student is missing all his classes for two straight weeks

sure a student is placed in the right reading program now, instead of 12 months later when the high-stakes

the weekend assignments earlier, or grant an extension. Big data can boil down to a small thing like making

Receiving this information in a timely manner can alert a teacher to know she might need to give that student

never turns in weekend assignments on time, but is never late on assignments during the school week.

JERRY SPEIER & THE NATIONAL ACADEMY FOUNDATION HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

Linking Systems Together for Big

16 Connecting the Dot

Gathering, Collecting and Capturi Big Data

12 Laying the Foundati

Better Student Outcomes and Ca Readiness

6 The Promise of Big D

4 Big Data Goes to Sch

4

This is not about getting a report, putting it in a file cabinet and never looking at it again. This is a time when people are really trying to use the assessment data in meaningful ways so they can

and learning.” This exciting development comes

as a result of a decade of work and hundreds of

millions of dollars of investment into statewide

longitudinal data systems (SLDS), as well as many

groundbreaking projects in data warehousing and

Source: Center for Digital Education Survey, 2013

DATA GROWTH

79%

Are you experiencing substantial administrative data growth?

79% say yes!

NO GROWTH

12%

9%

emphasis on using data to drive decision-making.

security, the initiative seeks to “transform teaching

NOT SURE

Information Solutions, agrees: “This shift puts an

scientific research and strengthening national

let alone gain access to the full collection.

ever come close to experiencing even this 2 percent,

on display at any given time. Very few people will

importance, less than 2 percent of the collection is

tion. Although these items are of great historical

million items stored in the Smithsonian Institu-

education data stores have been similar to the 137

improving student outcomes. In this way, our vast

previously lacked the means to apply it toward

we’re good at amassing this information, we’ve

discipline records, test scores and so on. But while

rosters, program participation, degree attainment,

the years: course records, student attendance, class

ic research. We’ve collected mountains of data over

of student recruitment, administration and academ-

technologies for data analytics are changing the face

breaking for higher education institutions. New

The impact of big data will be equally ground-

their students.”3

better understand the strength and weaknesses of

Harcourt’s Division for Innovative Assessments and

improving education. In addition to accelerating

1

Tracey Barrett, vice president of product management and marketing at Houghton Mifflin

Development Initiative” that is aimed, in part, at

that everybody now has access to this information.”2

75%

STUDENT TESTING/ INFORMATION ASSESSMENT

84%

Source: Center for Digital Education Survey, 2013

0

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

What types of data

So what defines big data anyw data sets whose size is beyon analyze.”4 Our sister organizati recent Special Report on Big high-velocity and high-variety i a number of sources that com

Breaking Down Big

data becoming a very powerful mechanism for

that the education community is abuzz about parents, students, principals and administrators, so

teacher dashboards. I see this convergence of big

or read a blog on education lately, then you know

announced a $200-million “Big Data Research and

are the lock, and big data is the

systems, curriculum management systems and

the concept of big data. President Obama recently

educational insights. Simply pu

used to be stand alone, like learning management

of dry facts and creating powerf

going to see a convergence of a lot of systems that

f you’ve attended a conference, watched a webinar

SCHOOL I edge technologies to sift throug

School District (Houston ISD), believes, “You’re

6

map out the tools and technology

needs of our students. Before we

audience polling, just like the w American Idol,” Clark explains.

different levels, we can make adjustments seamlessly, so that students don’t even notice what we are doing to maximize their learning. In some cases, we can provide enrichment, and in some cases, we can provide adjustments to help them make up or catch up.”

positively impact every level of education, right down

to the classroom level at the moment of instruction.6

“I think first and foremost, we need to come to that

true realization that our kids are digital natives,”

says Peterson. “They’re used to working with

data as working hand-in-glove with other technology initiatives that have developed over the past few years, including bring

systems in place that can complete assessments,

learning is occurring without them even realizing

it, because they are so comfortable with it.”

CIO Tom Clark sees the trend towards big

are going into classrooms and u

terson. “As we see different students progressing at

administrators make decisions. He believes it can

technology and electronics. By having technology

“We have teachers and tech

tomize some of the learning for students,” says Pe-

Peterson, big data is more than just a tool to help top

the teacher is taking attendanc

during the first five minutes of

problem that was put on the int

if you will, for the correct answ

has implemented the exact opp

the classroom, as many schools

of banning advanced technolog

when they went to the moon,” s

pockets, it is the equivalent to

“We know that not every student learns in the same way, and so better use of data will help us cus-

for the district, and Clark is the district CIO. For Dr.

in the bottom of their backpack

in Scottsdale, Ariz. Dr. Peterson is superintendent

of computer processing power t

“When you stop and think a

in education: How do you provide remedial help or embarrassing them in front of their peers?

connects institutions to the out

entrenched and seemingly unsolvable problems without stigmatizing students, isolating them

networks and advanced networ

it into action at Scottsdale Unified School District

your own device (BYOD), perva

Peterson is taking advantage of students’ technological fluency to attack one of the most

Scottsdale Unified School District believes that big data can be used to positively impact every level of education, right down to the classroom level at the moment of instruction.

the promise of big data, and they are already putting

Dr. David Peterson and Tom Clark are believers in

Student Success in Scottsdale

importantly — students to improve education?

counselors, advisors, support staff and — most

will it do for administrators, instructors,

human terms to which we can relate. What

of big data, we need to put its benefits into

T

he story of big data starts with the

Better Student Outcomes and Career Readiness

THE PROMISE OF BIG DATA:

8

of technology for student educ kindergarten all the way thro school graduation.” The proce

history” of the texts, enabling the scholar to better determine what area of the world the materials originated. Depending on how much we know about a particular manuscript’s history already, this could answer questions about the medieval book trade and the circulation of manuscripts.

in society. What happens in schools becomes

a reflection of that. We are more and more

dependent on technology to do our jobs, and if

you’re using chart paper and Sharpies to analyze

your data, then I don’t think you’re doing justice

for your students. You’re not making your

Retreat,” the infectious disease expert was able

component that we can provide for them.”

goers in disparate fields whose experiences paralleled her own. As Dr. Marc Hoit, vice chancellor for information technology and CIO at NC State, explains, “Now they’re matched

applicability, as evidenced by its implementation

in many disparate fields of academic research.

One such field seems, at first glance, like an

unlikely candidate for big data analysis: medieval

ubiquitous, the veterinarian found retreat-

to underscore the idea that big data is indeed

Big data has diverse and wide-ranging

needed to make sense of the data. And, as if

Uniting Administration, Research

and K-12 in North Carolina

to find the kind of support and technology she

However, at an NC State-hosted “Big Data

veterinarian to discern patterns easily.

It’s a nice partnership. We’re leveraging

technology that they already have with a

Eventually there was too much data for the

temperature, at regular intervals. Naturally,

allowed students to access the network.

are tracked, the more data is accumulated.

coordinates and environmental data, such as

infrastructure across all of its campuses and

to their own or their parent’s cell phone bill.

sensors on wolves. The collars transmit GPS

necessity, Scottsdale has implemented a wireless

district connection to the Internet, as opposed

study that involved placing collar-mounted

accessible to every participant. To address this

the more wolves tracked and the longer they

of veterinary medicine, was conducting a

networks and ample bandwidth to make them

Clark adds, “This lets them leverage our

Suzanne Kennedy-Stoskopf, a research professor

benefited from big data is infectious disease.

applications can’t work in isolation. They require

But even the most extensive big data

decisions on the best data that you already have.”

The world of technology used to be a lot less complex than it is today.

Whenever a new piece of technology came on the scene, it could be placed into one of three neatly defined categories. Administrative systems, like payroll and accounting applications, ran in the back office to manage the operations of the institution. Instructional technologies were leveraged by instructors while they taught their students.

And research computing

Is this administrativ Is it for higher educ

In partnership with the sta Institute’s goal is “to study the

of the vellum would reveal a kind of “genetic

the reality of the changes that we’re undergoing

TECHNOLOGIES

that focuses on technology an

Another field of academic research that has

Friday Institute for Education

from which they were made. A DNA analysis

According to Clark, leveraging data is simply

also contain the DNA information of the animals

Engineering. He and his team

professor and a researcher in t

given the right application of the right tools.7

of Civil, Construction & Envir

secondary education as well.

Middle Ages had more information to offer, He reasoned that the many manuscripts

beneficial relationships betwe

produced in the monastic scriptoriums of the

written on vellum (treated animal skins) might

NC State demonstrates how bi

(NC State), determined that the manuscripts

expected these days. “I think we all have to face

TOM CLARK, CIO, SCOTTSDALE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, ARIZ.

THE WAY YOU VOTE FOR AMERICAN IDOL.”

10

was launched in March 2011 to address this problem. Working with Chambers of Commerce, Hiring our Heroes partners with state and local chapters and others from the public, private and nonprofit sectors to help veterans and their spouses find meaningful employment.

of the state’s Race to the Top grant. NC State

is also participating in what’s called an “early

college high school” — a high school where

students can take university classes, which

Dr. Hoit describes as similar to a “dual degree

program with community colleges.” The Wake

opportunities in high-demand industries, Hiring our Heroes aggregate and analyze data fro municipalities and companies country. And in order to help v the career paths that are right f program will have to construct and link them to specific caree data about the interests, skills required for different careers. perfect example of how big dat the world for service members

and assist them in making decisions about education and employment opportunities. This program utilizes a significant amount of data to map careers by industry to 100 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) that are forecasted to see the largest amount of job creation in the near future. The program also identifies the skills needed for veterans to apply for jobs in these MSAs, provides information on how veterans can use the GI Bill to gain additional education and helps veterans gain credentials to increase their opportunities.9 As a part of the Fast Track program, Hiring

that these types of collaborations, with the

university, Friday Institute and middle school;

and with the university and early-college high

school, offer a wealth of information that can

be utilized for further learning opportunities.

one for the United States military. Many

veterans struggle to fully assimilate back into

society, finding it difficult to become career

ready and find a job. Fortunately, big data has

a place in vocational and job training as well.

skills, many have been in the military since high

While veterans often have specific and useful

This past decade has been a challenging

firm to construct an online “Hiring our Heroes

career readiness for today’s vet

education in myriad ways, incl

conflicts overseas. As such, big

of big data. In order to locate e

show veterans critical paths to employment

mathematics)-related courses. Dr. Hoit notes

our Heroes has partnered with a technology

and implementation of a signifi

Heroes created the “Fast Track” program to

STEM (science, technology, engineering and

Career Readiness to Power Hiring our Heroes

This community will requir

the utilization of data. Recently, Hiring our

education) that are best suited

to identify career paths (includ

and provide assessments that a

will also bring veterans and em

industries in the United States.

opportunities in high-demand

transitioning service members

provide a single website to help

Talent Community.” This com

High School program is focused on offering

This program would not be possible without

to look to find employment. Hiring our Heroes

Centennial Campus. They are key components

NC State University STEM Early College

school or college, and simply do not know where

is tied to the university and located on its

Hiring our Heroes’ “Fast Track” program utilizes a significant amount of data to map high-demand careers by industry, identify the skills needed for veterans to apply for jobs and help veterans gain additional credentials to increase their opportunities.

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well-established, documented, procedures and business rules f

place for a while and have been collecting data for a long time, these problems can be magnified.

analytics applications. It’s also about the

the data going in. There can be a lot of time lost there. You have to have the processes in place so that the quality of the data in the system is

Schad. When you are pulling data from many

different systems, sometimes IT staff need to

implement “work-arounds” or process changes that

LENNY SCHAD, CIO, HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, TEXAS

DATA QUALITY IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST AREAS YOU STRUGGLE WITH, BECAUSE THERE’S SO MUCH VARIATION ON HOW PEOPLE DO THINGS, PARTICULARLY AT THE CAMPUS LEVEL.”

“

right, rather than spending the energy on fixing

information, research and even social media.

include digital content, assessments, transactional

and institutions. But it goes way beyond that to

collected electronically by 84 percent of districts

single data source, student information, which is

large quantities. This starts with the largest

range of types of information in increasingly

are increasingly responsible for cataloging a wide

part of the picture, since districts and institutions

administrative data growth. And that’s only one

their organization was experiencing substantial

of respondents to the CDE survey told us that

are expected to master. Seventy-nine percent

in the amount of data that education institutions

Contributing to this problem is the rapid increase

being corrected as it goes in,” explains Schad.

spending a lot of time justifying that the tool’s

STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM (SIS)

73%

CLASS/ COURSE SCHEDULING

68%

Source: Center for Digital Education Survey, 201

0

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Where are you stori

chain leading to high-level anal

is reading it incorrectly.” This poses major risks

management systems (LMS) and the like.12

at the campus level,” explains Houston ISD’s CIO

and consider them a vital link i

first assumption is that the tool is bad, or the tool

as student information systems (SIS), learning

variation on how people do things, particularly

must manage our source syste

bad data coming in and you’re reporting on it, the

right from the source systems themselves, such

down before they are even started. “You end up

omission of data.”13 To get big d

“Because what tends to happen is, when there is

highlighting the importance of getting information

for big data initiatives, which can be easily shut

information in [source] systems

about data quality in dashboards,” says Schad.

groups like the Data Quality Campaign have been

“Data quality is probably one of the biggest

rules for data entry can lead to

never more relevant than when we’re talking

the early days of the education data movement,

areas you struggle with, because there’s so much

validation. Lacking clearly defi

“The analogy of ‘garbage in, garbage out’ is

that help to get us there in the first place. Since

hard work, systems, processes and data governance

Campaign, “Best-practice distri

functionality. When source systems have been in

data process: data visualization and direct

According to research by the

hurt data integrity but are necessary for system

ig data isn’t just about the final stages of the

B

Gathering, Collecting and Capturing Big Data

FOUNDATION:

THE INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

THE EDUCATION PERSPECTIVE

“Our shift is going towards predictive analytics in particular. There is so much big data out there. We are looking at different ways of asking questions, or perhaps to help our customers ask questions that they didn’t even know they needed to ask. Predictive analytics opens up so many avenues that can contribute to student success.”

CARRIE HANDLEY, DESIRE2LEARN

ROBERT CURTIN, MICROSOFT CORPORATION

“Would like to have a system to extract data in a timely manner for greater use and benefit to our districts.”

“Line speed capability in our smaller offices around the state, which would enable us to make our data collection through interactive trainings more robust.”

“Big data is less about the volume of data or new technologies; it’s more about new usage patterns that inform action at the point of delivery, such as better student advising or personalized learning pathways. Our customers realize they do not need expensive new tools to get started — they are already doing big things with just a little SQL.”

“We are still using monolithic database and data warehouse systems to process the data to get business analytics. We need to invest in newer processing platforms such as Hadoop (NoSQL) or NewSQL. Current data sets are too large to process quickly with our traditional methods.”

responding to the big data trend and in what ways they are seeing the market shift.

CRAIG POWELL, CONNECTEDU

“Big data is education’s secu scalable and cost-effective a to driving student success by unlocking the power of adapt learning plans for all student

MIKE MAXWELL, SYMANTEC

“With the abundance of data, stored in multiple locations, s should consider an eDiscover solution to identify and locate important information.”

“Integration — tracking a stude data from kindergarten all the way through college.”

“Seamless student information system (SIS) and learning management system (LMS) integration, as well as integratio into sensible workflows — mea ways to do something with the

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tion of business-partner expertise. More than

requires that data becomes mobile. It needs

system for tracking students’ c career readiness by leveraging house capabilities, student-lev gregation and customized, real

to successfully initiate a critical phase of our performance management system. [The upstream information] is essential in helping us reach our research and evaluation goals.”

STUDENTS

60,000

WHICH IS MORE THAN

OF STATES PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM

OF NAF STUDENTS GO ON TO COLLEGE OR OTHER POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

OR MORE OF NAF GRADUATES EARN BACHELOR’S DEGREES IN FOUR YEARS

80% 52%

levels driving the analysis). Thi NAF to measure student achie progress, drive targeted interv conclusions about key compon and curricula that drive succes

how its students were performing and be able to compare them with other groups of public school students. This would allow NAF to back up its success with empirical analysis, test the effectiveness of the curriculum and

more credits and earn higher g NAF students in the same distr more than four out of five NAF college or other post-secondar more than 52 percent of NAF g bachelor’s degrees in four year 32 percent nationally. Data ana NAF better serve its students e

from thousands of NAF students and public school students around the country. The firm gathered academic and demographic data, as well as data on socioeconomic status, attendance rates, GPA and SAT/ACT scores from a variety of sources. This comprehensive data gathering would allow NAF to drive analysis

academies attend school more

success. The data showed that

a technology firm to gather and collect data

To solve this problem, NAF partnered with

the educational needs of NAF students.

In addition, this system has

levels in real time (with admin

It wanted to be able to see, in real time, exactly

implement consistent changes to better serve

at the student, school, district,

Today, NAF can analyze stu

reporting. The results were stu

and achievement of students in NAF academies.

measurement system to evaluate the progress

Last year, NAF began building a performance

tools. They also developed a re

provided us with the intelligence necessary

NAF is an organization of college and career-prep

Once they had the data, the

to JD Hoye, president of NAF, “[The new system]

worked to build college- and ca

information from upstream sources. According

components when comparing s

allow the organizations to cont

excellent example of how this concept can work.

National Academy Foundation Facts

78%

NAF recently implemented a new electronic data initiative that was able to incorporate

based on a number of key comp

JD HOYE, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ACADEMY FOUNDAT

initiative in “connecting the dots” provides an

The National Academy Foundation’s (NAF)

integrated into a coherent, unified picture.

60,000 students participate across 39 states.

curricula, work-based learning and the utiliza-

it won’t be useful if it stays there. Big data

to be extracted from source systems, amassed and

academies that prides itself on industry-focused

he source systems have the information, but

T

Linking Systems Together for Big Data

THE DOTS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.”

18

see longitudinal data about their students, along with the homework and the lesson plans for the day.” Schad envisions visualization tools for students as well, which will work together with the teacher resources for common outcomes.

and intuitive for the decision-makers who will

actually use the information to improve education.

According to our research, education institutions

are increasingly aware of the benefits of big data,

to really use data that’s relevant single day.” Houston ISD doesn’ with a successful data warehou project. The district’s vision goe and towards an integrated learn “Then there’s more of the just-i trending, forecasting analysis,” Ultimately, he sees these initiati full scope of predictive and pres

can use the data longitudinally, so that they can now tie their student data together to see, historically, how their students have done on various tests or where they have struggled. That helps them formulate what needs to be done, especially when they’re receiving new students.” Moving forward, Schad wants to improve accessibility and utilization by making a wide range of information available in dashboards that are customized for each user.

earlier, aims to transform his district with

powerful new performance dashboards. “We’re

in the process of rolling out a data warehouse,”

explains Schad. “We have our principal dashboard

done, we have our teacher dashboard done

and now we are starting on the business side.”

Houston ISD’s challenge is not only to make the

data available, but to also spend enough time with

Source: Center for Digital Education Survey, 2013

STRONGLY DISAGREE

DISAGREE

NEUTRAL

AGREE

STRONGLY AGREE

For my institution, big data ...

HAS IMPROVED ADMINISTRATION

6% 35% 45% 11% 3%

HAS IMPROVED STUDENT OUTCOMES

7% 43% 40% 7% 3%

14% 49% 29% 5% 4%

REMAINS A TOP PRIORITY FOR US

probably one of the best mecha

the current system: “Your teachers and principals

Lenny Schad, Houston ISD’s CIO we noted

teaching, facilitation and admin

start to see more individualizati

And that means not just for stud

create individualized experienc

it can do and what it is starting t

doing what people want it to do,

for a user experience. If you rea

ultimate goal of big data is true i

tools goes well beyond the class

thinks the value of data present

closely tied to improving studen

Innovation Network at Pearson,

Dr. Jeff Borden, who leads th

students that are adaptive to th

and personalized instructional

think, from a daily perspective,

Visualizing Student Performance in Dashboards

data accessible to people,” says

Schad explains that teachers and administrators

“There are so many ways tha

Houston ISD’s teachers and administrators use dashboards to gauge student performance historically, and ultimately to improve student outcomes.

are already effectively utilizing information under

and are making its implementation a priority.

Schad. “Your teachers will be able to go in and

and present the data in a way that is visual

together so they become one platform,” says

practitioners need to demystify the

endpoint technologies that make big data real,

these [dashboards] are going to start converging

time to finish the job. To do that,

In order to achieve this, data must be integrated and visualized in one centralized location. “All of

nce we have connected the dots, it’s

O

Visualizing, Analyzing and Leveraging Big Data

20

had getting their campuses wir net. Today, it goes without sayi

making many more “reads” and “writes” than ever before. And your users will want the results fast.

tire data warehouses — often need to be moved from

one physical location to another. And powerful analyt-

Having more data, and using it effectively,

INTEGRATION WITH EXISTING SYSTEMS

63% 45%

ANALYTICS DASHBOARDS

55%

Source: Center for Digital Education Survey, 2013

0

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

STORAGE

28% 10% SOCIAL RESEARCH/ NETWORKS SCIENCE APPLICATIONS

18%

OTHER

5%

the solution. Implementing thes

quently, hard dollars.

IT professionals say that they need to make

What are your investment priorities?

they are looking to gigabit Ethe

merely storing it. This saves disk space and conse-

University of Chicago is doing s

work in several neighborhoods

request for proposal (RFP) to d

in conjunction with Seattle, iss

The University of Washingto

ties and their surrounding com

spread of these networks to oth

next-generation networks and t

seven member universities are

develop and test these gigabit n

versities are logical and cost-eff

the executive director of Gig.U,

Former FCC Administrator Blai

point for more extensive broadb

ity to universities and communi

to bring ultra-high-speed Inter

For instance, the national Gi

partnerships but also over the l

broader community, sometimes

conjunction with the university

not reach out into the communi

age systems are capable of compressing data, not

tions already have great connec

a research university. Many of t

fessionals and 47 percent of higher education

Data compression techniques. Many new stor-

Users should be informed about any changes.

enterprises. In fact, 55 percent of K-12 IT pro-

changes the storage requirements of our IT

No institution requires netw

ties emerge. Call it the circle of

so we need a smart plan for keeping what we need.

isn’t practical. We can’t keep everything forever,

Storage, Storage and More Storage

pacity is brought online, applica

Save everything forever. The problem is that this

movement: storage, networks and computing power.

bandwidth, and they need it no

to questions of backup frequency and archiving:

This reality creates key challenges in the big data

higher education institutions n

cess that Scottsdale and other d

Once a big data application is in place, you will be

served, huge volumes of information — sometimes en-

Archiving and backup. There is a simple answer

In an earlier section, we cov

ogies are allowing greater in-memory processing)?

ics demand even more powerful processing hardware.

Networks and Bandwidth are C

even stored on a hard disk at all (some new technol-

available for a long time. In order to be pre-

public Internet (more on securi

be valuable, much of this data needs to remain

Data access speed. How quickly can you get data onto the disk and off of it? Or is your operation data

ig data isn’t a once-and-done proposition. To

B

Storage, Bandwidth and Computing Power

22

▸ Servers and processing hardware ▸ Storage area networks (SAN) and networkattached storage (NAS) ▸ New technologies for faster access and retrieval ▸ Network upgrades and bandwidth considerations, i.e., next-generation networks for big data ▸ Archiving and disaster recovery

There are many parts to a successful big data infrastructure.

Here are some of the most important ones:

Decoding the Technology

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER:

data from the human genome to try to find a cure for cancer.

The sharing of so much data op

important security concerns — adequately addressed here. But our CDE research drives this p is at the top of the list of everyo it comes to big data.

10,000 markers across the genome. Today, it looks at more than 3 billion markers and it counts each of those markers 30 times to determine what’s happening. As you can imagine, this requires some serious firepower from TGen’s hardware and generates a lot of data to store and transport.

their communities will be at a disadvantage.

When companies consider where to locate, they

look for three things: “A good supply of work-

ers (in which case they look for universities

that produce the kind of graduates they want to

hire); a good living environment, which includes

to comply with the Family Edu Privacy Act (FERPA), of course go beyond the specifics of rules to leverage new strategies for a

result was a 12-fold increase in computing power.

The new architecture allows for high-speed access to data and parallel file access. TGen is also able to store larger amounts of data, specifically three times the number of cores, in the same physical space. With all of that computing power, TGen predicts that it will be able to get the right drug to patients much faster. This, TGen says, would have been completely impossible with its legacy systems.

Just How Important is Computing Power

to Big Data?

As we noted earlier, the applications for big

data run the gamut from teaching numbers and

letters in kindergarten to the heady realms of

academic research in higher education. The

Translational Genomics Research Institute, or

TGen, is at the far end of this range in terms

of both complexity and importance. TGen is a

new architecture system boasts interconnectivity among systems — all with fewer administra-

disease simply by looking under a microscope.

To find a solution, TGen had to dig deeper.

the trial and helps TGen to better more lives.18

more scientists and fewer computers, and its

tists can’t separate out the different types of

an individual patient’s tumor by comparing

smaller hardware footprint allows TGen to house

to treat. It isn’t a single disease, and scien-

efficiency, which allows for more patients to be in

to make any significant impact. In addition, the

cancers in children, and is particularly hard

new servers use less power and improve cost-

too long to get the results back to the patients

Neuroblastoma is one of the most common

ized medicine. It starts with the analysis of

limits. TGen could analyze the data, but it took

ing neuroblastoma in four-year-old children.

running a clinical trial by utilizing personal-

new systems, time-sensitive problems were off

find a cure for cancer. Its specific target is cur-

tors and no additional space. Finally, TGen’s

data analysis challenges. Prior to installing the

using data from the human genome to try to

TGen’s research methodology involves

Moreover, TGen is now able to target new

nonprofit genomics research institute that is

SECURITY CONCERNS

58%

ANALYTICS

48%

SU MAIN

Source: Center for Digital Education Survey, 2013

0

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

What are some of yo

and privacy initiatives work in

to acquire new servers on a new architecture. The

modern business without it,” says Dr. Hoit.

17

port, TGen partnered with a technology company

and achievable if education inst the bedrock principles that hav

To decrease data processing time, increase the

However, real information s

with big data and it

amount of data storage and allow for easier trans-

Internet connectivity, because you can’t run a

good schools for their children; and high-speed

W

trial progresses. When TGen started, it looked at

And it’s only becoming more complicated as the

important consider

e all know that secu

Cities that don’t implement these programs in

The process of sequencing an entire genome is lengthy, and generates tremendous amounts of data.

24

The Institute for Advanced Analytics, a professional master’s program at NC State, is dedicated to producing data scientists and prepares 80 students each year for this specialized workforce, says Dr. Hoit of NC State.

MAKING IT REAL

BRYAN REGAN

into teams of four or five stude director assigns each team a pr that problem will come from go such as the Department of Just for example, want help sorting sense of large amounts of data. might come from private indust a business may need help proce generated by its machinery, or i tracking production-line flaws

we need, the “data scientists” who will make big data a reality for our organizations?

Fortunately, Dr. Hoit has an answer for this as well. Working with SAS, Dr. Michael Rappa created the Institute for Advanced Analytics at NC State, the nation’s first professional master’s program in data analytics. One year, a single company offered to hire the program’s entire cohort of 40 students. According to Dr. Hoit,

Analytics about five years ago. It is a

the creation of the Institute for Advanced

with this “good next-door neighbor” led to

explains that the university’s partnership

with headquarters near NC State. Dr. Hoit

influential data analysis companies, SAS,

become one of the world’s largest and most

some graduate students founded what has

In the late 1970s, a faculty member and

decades of accomplishments in data analysis.

leadership is the well-deserved result of

NC State, whose reputation for big data

This program was a natural move for

similar programs of their own.

following NC State’s lead and developing

Other higher education institutions are

of possible candidates and hire them.”

and know that they can find a large cohort

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

28%

FUNDING

26%

Source: Center for Digital Education Survey, 2013

0

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

What would help you

departments and beyond. Each

skilled people. Where will we get the people

“Employers want to come to one place

students are heavily involved w

perhaps most glaring barrier, is a lack of

in size and now prepares 80 stu for a workforce in need of data

project risks and the barriers to

Since its inception, the prog

with planning and effective diligence,

adoption can be overcome. The first, and

S

the program has been very succ

imply put, big data is hard work. But

end of their salary range — are

its graduates’ multiple job offe

26

The potential of big data in education is huge.

It allows campuses to anticipate the needs of their students, and empowers instructors to do what they do best: educate the next generation of leaders.

irreparable happens.

the most dangerous position that we, as leaders,

be reality.

obvious. Imagine tools that let instructors apply

This isn’t a dream. With some elbow grease and the right big data tools, it could very much

after the problems have become full blown and

academic trouble starts, instead of many months

do best: educate the next generation of leaders.

meets them — before the student even asks. And

While the challenges loom large, the potential

where instructors are empowered to do what they

campus anticipates the needs of the student and

the data and preparing them for access to that data.�

conversation with a student just as his or her

in real time for actionable insights. Where the

expectations are, what we want people to do with

benefits are larger still. Imagine having a

for posterity in a dusty mainframe, but mined

leadership perspective, needs to focus on what our

Imagine a campus where data isn’t just collected

down — and can act on them before anything

can take. I think the big data conversation, from a

trends in their school’s performance — up or

administrators who are aware of the potential

thinking will need to change to make that

jump down into the weeds, and I think that is

to the students who need them. Imagine

But he also expects that current modes of

potential a reality. “Big data conversations typically

L

the best, most research-proven interventions

enny Schad sees a great future for big data.

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eachers and administrators today rely on data to provide critical feedback on student progress and drive curriculum corrections. They look to technology to provide this data on demand and in an easy-to-consume format. Student achievement relies on real-time data being in the hands of the people who need it, when they need it.

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BUILT TOUGH.

In today’s technologically advanced world, educational institutions are confronting droves of data, so much so that it is being dubbed “big data.� Although this can be daunting, it also has the capability to transform education.

To maximize the potential of big data, institutions need secure, real-time connectivity to support: 7 +50'*# +53&#.# !!#// As students, educators and staff become more mobile and learning evolves beyond the confines of the traditional classroom, schools must be able to provide fast, secure connectivity wherever and whenever it is needed.

7 +!.# /'+% 1/# ,$ 0#!&+,),%5 Students and faculty are bringing in their own devices, and oftentimes more than just one, to access educational resources. Additionally, they are using these devices to access digital content that can vary from interactive e-textbooks to streaming video. To accommodate this, districts and systems are seeking more bandwidth and network convergence solutions.

7 ,)) ,. 0',+ Whether it’s schools within a district or research organizations across the country, institutions are finding that sharing data and improving collaboration can have a significant impact on learning outcomes. It is therefore critical to centralize data where it can be securely and easily accessed.

Ensuring Access in a Big Data World

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BIG DATA

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Fortunately, new solutions can help education institutions properly govern Big Data during the eDiscovery process, helping them avoid potential fines and saving significant amounts of staff time.

“Discovering” a Better Solution

area of eDiscovery — the process by which organizations are mandated to identify, analyze and produce electronically stored information (ESI) in response to certain requests. The more data an organization stores, the more difficult — and expensive — it becomes to manage.

Education institutions are no strangers to Big Data, and like all governmental organizations, they must adhere to federal regulations that mandate systems be in place for them to retrieve ESI when necessary.

The increase in lawsuits filed against schools has brought eDiscovery solutions higher up on the priority list for many IT and legal departments. Reactionary measures are no longer acceptable — developing a proactive plan is critical to reduce time and money spent during the eDiscovery process.

The bigger data gets, the more problems it can cause in the

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In response, Microsoft has made substantial investments into business intelligence (BI) platforms (both on-premises and in the cloud) that empower education leaders to transform real-time data into action. Microsoft puts data into the right hands at the right time, and without the need for specialized analysis.

Through managed self-service business intelligence, Microsoft allows institutions to leverage existing technologies they already use and are familiar with: Microsoft Office in the form of Excel, and other key collaboration solutions like SharePoint. Microsoft strengthens BI with easy-to-use, self-service operability that enables data storage and availability, security, scalability and collaboration. Education leaders can access and

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Acknowledgements: JOHN MIRI, Senior Fellow at the Center for Digital Education, is a nationally recognized expert on Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence who is frequently called upon to address the impact of Big Data on education at the federal, state, and local levels. Miri developed a district-wide longitudinal Data

THE CENTER FOR DIGITAL EDUCATION

Warehouse and Teacher Dashboard solution for a large urban school

is a national research and advisory institute

district serving more than 90,000 students and he has advised a state

specializing in K-12 and higher education

education agency on the technical architecture, enterprise governance,

technology trends, policy, and funding. CDE

and project management for a Big Data initiative that will ultimately serve

advises the industry, conducts relevant research,

more than 500,000 teachers and administrators. Prior to his work in

issues white papers, and produces premier annual

government and education, Miri designed and deployed Data Warehouse

surveys and awards programs. CDE also hosts

and Business Intelligence solutions to leading companies in the private

events for the education community. CDE’s media

sector. Miri is the principal inventor on U.S. Patent #7,571,138 — an

platform includes the Center for Digital Education

advanced data management software tool for financial risk management.

Special Reports, an online resource site, email

Miri graduated from Harvard University with an honors degree in Physics.

newsletters, and custom publications.