per | data
Start with what you know.
How does a doctor make a diagnosis? They look at your health as an interconnected system, where each piece affects the whole. Learning is a dynamic, non-linear process, just like a system (Rodriguez, 2013), but when we design or redesign curriculum, decisions are made with experience and intuition, but not data. Why? It’s not because educators don’t value data, it’s because useful, digestible data is not available to them. Systems thinking insights often determine that causes for issues lie in underlying system structures (Ammara et al, 2021). So, how can we access these insights?
Enter: per | data
THE
PROBLEM
As technology advances and innovation is demanded (spurred ever-onwards by rising eLearning due to COVID-19) the need for data-driven decisions to improve education is at an all time high. Data for collective accountability and improvement was cited as the one of the six key accelerators for educational system reform by the Educational Development Trust (EDU) in 2019.
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Despite collecting vast amounts of data about their users, institutions do not currently analyze data in a meaningful way for use (Long & Siemens, 2011). Within institutions, it is not uncommon for faculty to be unaware of the teachings and schedules in other (even directly related) courses, or the outcomes of a curricular revision. These knowledge gaps lead to overlapping efforts, reduced student satisfaction and performance, and inefficient change. Institutions must do away with these inefficiencies in their processes and turn to high quality data and evidence to maintain their student satisfaction, educational quality, and retention (Bryant & Bodfish, 2014).
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Despite the explosive growth of learning analytics (LA), and the priority thereof by institutions, many do not have an established learning analytics strategy, team or support system (eCampus Ontario, 2020). This absence is due to a lack of trained individuals to do the work, the cost of creating and maintaining such systems, and data privacy concerns. Due to these limitations, the benefits of learning analytics remains out of reach for many institutions. What can be done to provide data-driven, actionable insights for institutions, without jeopardizing their available budget or further taxing their internal resources?
per | data is the solution.
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per | data helps institutions take the first steps into learning analytics use, and into educational decisions founded not only by experience and intuition, but concrete data findings. Using per | data will lead to more holistic, systems-based approaches to educational practice and reform.
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per | data is a browser-based platform (no download required) that allows users to input various data points about their educational systems, and receive insightful, instantly generated data visualizations. per | data does not require a prior skillset to use, any user can generate high-quality outputs. To simplify use, per | data focuses on the data that institutions already have, and helps users understand how to generate findings. Rather than sifting through endless data, per | data prompts users with questions about the type of data they have at hand and suggests pathways to showcase visual findings.* With these easily manipulatable and comprehendible visualizations, educators and administrators will be better equipped to optimize and make their practices more efficient.
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To safeguard all inputted data, per | data uses state of the art encryption and protection on its platform. per | data also offers multiple options for data privacy, including complete anonymity of users if desired. In this way,
per | data can be used as a tool to assist in learning decisions, without concern for data security.
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*If a user requires a specific visualization, the team at per | data can create it, and it will in turn be added to per | data’s existing library.
THE SOLUTION
per | data
Founder & CEO
My name is Ally Darling-Beaudoin, and I founded per | data.
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What does “per | data” mean? The term per | data was coined for two reasons: the “per” in per | data is inspired by the French word “perdue” or “lost”, indicative of all of the “lost data” and the need to compile and analyze. The final “per | data” terminology also alludes to findings that are “as per” data, rooted in analyzed findings.
Formally trained as a Registered Interior Designer, my love of learning blossomed much earlier and demonstrated itself in my subsequent teaching. My love of data-driven findings was born out of evidence based design and translated itself into actionable educational insights through my volunteer work with the professional examination administration for interior design. My work with this group involved determining passing credentials for certification. Having the subject matter experts in the field (myself), and trained specialists in the practice of what we were doing (psychometrician), opened my eyes about the benefits of holistic approaches to problems, and has become my mantra since.
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When learning about design, we focus heavily on systems thinking and holistic approaches (no one piece without the whole). This practice of holistic approaches to problems is what caused me to found per | data. While working as an educator and educational administrator with my program, I realized the significant knowledge gaps between educator, administrator, and the institution as a whole. Using my background in educational technology wherein I am a graduate student, I decided to conduct a learning analytics exercise of my own program. The findings from this exercise were so well received and enabled so many positive steps forwards for the program, that I realized this was a service that any institution could use. Now, I am looking for your investment to fully realize this business venture.
