Uses and Misuses of Data

Abstract

Higher education is awash with data with more coming every year. Much of this is due to accountability reasons and growing interest from stakeholders (internal and external). New technologies have increasingly allowed more powerful analytics and deeper dives into data. However the increasing pressures and new technologies have brought significant questions on how data is used and its relevance. This chapter examines how data is used within higher education and an extended discussion of how it has been misused. The chapter concludes with three suggestions on how institutions can do to reduce the likelihood of the misuse of data and the role of institutional research could play in facilitating its appropriate use.

The Ethical Use of Data

“…While most HEIs and HESs have a great deal of data, they only have a limited number of staff who are able to conduct and interpret analyses (Parnell et al., ). This creates reliance on a small group of data experts, such as IR professionals, to provide needed context and understanding of data (Mathies, ). The need for context expertise is critical; there are questions around the legitimacy, intentionality, and ideology of how data are used (Calderon, ).…”

“…Calderon () argues that without context expertise, there is no questioning the motives, sources, and relevance of how data are used. Without questioning the power and legitimacy of data and their use, there cannot be a truly ethical use of data (Mathies, ). Parnell et al.…”

“…Within higher education, groups like EDUCAUSE, for higher education IT professionals, and AIR, for institutional research (IR) professionals, routinely had conference sessions, professional development seminars, and white papers dedicated to data and good practices of their use. These groups have long acknowledged possible issues with data use and misuse (Mathies, ). But with the Cambridge Analytica/Facebook scandal moving the discussion of data misuse into public discourse, many higher education institutions (HEIs) and their leaders are critically examining, some for the first time, their data and questioning how they are collected, managed, and being used.…”