Big Data in Academia

            Our discussion of “big data” earlier this quarter intrigued me, and the uses for this technology seem endless.  I searched some news sites to see how big data has been applied most recently, and I found that many universities are beginning to explore its possibilities.  For example, Arizona State University has started data collection to predict the success of their students.  Based on how well they are predicted to do in a class, the program makes suggestions on future courses.  The program also carefully monitors if a student is on track with their major.  Students receive messages in their inbox notifying them of the risk and sometimes even prompting them to switch majors.  ASU does not just monitor the academic data of their students, but also their social networking as well.  ASU’s software assesses their students facebooks and suggests friends. 

            In the context of ethics and big data, is this crossing the line?  Should universities feel entitled to ask their students to change majors if the data collected implies they will not succeed?  I have trouble wrapping my head around the concept of a computer program predicting my success and determining my future.  I felt like one of the most important parts of college was organically exploring the options and working with my advisor to decide on a major.  This new type of data collection and application may streamline this process, but it also limits the freedom to make choices about your education.  What do you guys think?  Is this an “ethical” way to apply big data?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/education/edlife/colleges-awakening-to-the-opportunities-of-data-mining.html?pagewanted=1

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/science/11predict.html?pagewanted=all