Student Admission Data Analytics for Open and Distance Education in Greece

Abstract

Over the last few decades, distance learning has become very popular, as a result of the many pros it offers, along with its flexibility. The need for a better understanding of the data originating from such educational environments has led to the rise of the Educational Data Mining research field. However, most of the studies so far focus on the analysis of the data being collected during and/or after the distance learning courses. In this paper, we study the demographical data related to student applications for acceptance in distance learning programs offered by the Hellenic Open University, during the decade from 2003 to 2013. Our study aims at analyzing the data, and discovering patterns and knowledge that can be used to help the strategic placement of the university, and the improvement of the experience that offers to its students. Moreover, we attempt to correlate the discovered findings with the social and financial status of the applicants' environment.Keywords Data analytics, admission demographics, registration applications, distance education IntroductionThe widespread use of computers and the Internet contributed in making distance learning popular (Bozkurt et al., 2015). Nowadays, more and more people are willing to enroll in distance learning programs, as they have several attractive features, such as the option of a self-paced study, the freedom to study whenever and wherever you like, and the fact that it does not matter where you live, as you can gain a degree from anywhere in the world. Therefore, there are almost no restrictions, and most of the time their quality is as good as the conventional courses, which require the physical presence of the students in a classroom. What is more, distance learning courses are often cheaper to register. The Hellenic Open University (HOU) was officially established in 1997 and is the only university in Greece offering exclusively distance learning courses. It consists of four Schools (Humanities, Social Sciences, Science and Technology, and Applied Arts) and offers undergraduate and postgraduate distance learning courses to adult learners. Since its establishment, the HOU has evolved and has been attracting more and more students. People of all ages have shown great interest in studying through a distance learning program offered by the HOU. In Greece, the acceptance of a student in a public university is based on her performance in the Panhellenic exams. A lot of students may fail to obtain the required score or may have to move to a different city in order to study the subject of their choice. Thus, people are interested in the HOU not only due to financial reasons, but also because it provides a second chance towards studying the subject of their choice.In this paper, we analyze the demographical data originating from applications of prospective students to distance learning programs offered by the HOU. The data used were collected in the period from 2003 to 2013. Our study focuses on discovering patterns and knowledge that can elevate the educa...

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