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.