Data-informed decision-making (DIDM) gives reference to the
collection and
analysis of
data to guide
decisions that improve success.
[U.S. Department of Education Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development (2009). ''Implementing data-informed decision making in schools: Teacher access, supports and use.'' United States Department of Education (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED504191)] Another form of this process is referred to as Data-Driven Decision-making, "which is defined similarly as making decisions based on hard data as opposed to intuition, observation, or guesswork." DIDM is used in
education communities (where data is used with the goal of helping
student
A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution.
In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...
s and improving curricula) and is also used in other fields in which data is used to inform decisions. While "
data based decision-making" is a more common term, "''data-informed'' decision-making" is the preferred term, since decisions should not be based solely on
quantitative data.
''Data-driven decision-making'' is most often seen in the context of business growth and entrepreneurship. Most
educator
A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching.
''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
s have access to a
data system for the purpose of analyzing student data. These data systems present data to educators in an over-the-counter data format (embedding labels, supplemental documentation, and a help system, making key package/display and content decisions) to improve the success of educators’ data-informed decision-making. In business, fostering and actively supporting DIDM in their firm and among their colleagues may be one of the central responsibilities of CIOs (Chief Information Officers) or CDOs (Chief Data Officers).
Assessment in higher education is a form of DIDM aimed at using evidence of what students learn to improve curriculum, student learning, and teaching.
Standardized tests, grades, and student work scored by rubrics are forms of student learning outcomes assessment.
Formative assessments, specifically, allow educators to use the data from student performances more immediately in modifying teaching and learning strategies. There are numerous organizations aimed at promoting the assessment of student learning through DIDM including the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment, the Association for the Assessment of Student Learning in Higher Education, and, to an extent, the
Association of American Colleges and Universities.
References
Data analysis
Standards-based education
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