ERIC Number: EJ991738
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Oct
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1553-7544
EISSN: N/A
Big Data: What Is It and Why Does It Matter?
Waters, John K.
Campus Technology, v26 n2 p11-16 Oct 2012
Colleges and universities are swimming in an ever-widening sea of data. Human beings and machines together generate about 2.5 "quintillion" (10[superscript 18]) bytes every day, according to IBM's latest estimate. The sources of all that data are dizzyingly diverse: e-mail, blogs, click streams, security cameras, weather sensors, social networks, academic research, and student portfolios, to name just a few. And it's all coming at warp speed: Google alone reportedly processes 24 petabytes (that's a "quadrillion"--10[superscript 15]--bytes) every day. The industry buzz phrase for this phenomenon is "Big Data," which loosely refers to data sets too large and/or diverse for conventional tools to manage and mine efficiently. For colleges and universities, Big Data presents a challenge that will only get...well..."bigger". But approached with the right tools and strategies, Big Data also offers an incredibly rich resource for improving retention rates, fine-tuning curricula, and supporting students, faculty, and administration in myriad ways. This article, the first installment of a two-part series, explains Big Data and its potential for improving student learning and success.
Descriptors: Electronic Publishing, Data, Information Utilization, Information Management, Information Processing, Database Management Systems, Human Factors Engineering, Technology Planning, Information Theory, Influence of Technology
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A