The role of data intelligence in supporting pupil centric learning

Capita hosted a round table discussion with key stakeholders across the education and technology sectors to discuss the role of data in transforming the educational outcomes for learners.

How can data personalise the learning experience for every young person and equip them with the skills to succeed?

Kevin Marshall

The personalisation of data for better learning experiences is not a new concept, but that challenge has always been the creation of a framework that sets out the parameters of how you collect and use data. Without that, it is very difficult to tailor data to individual needs. Data-driven instruction, in the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), which is predicated on data, has placed us in a different space than in the past. Existing datasets are arguably siloed across the three main fields for consideration: System level, school level and classroom level. If we can create an overarching framework for data, which has a reliable baseline of input, and it can be interrogated properly, we can design a system which thinks a decade ahead.

Marianne Betts

The use of data and, subsequently, the application of data intelligence and potentially AI can enable better decision-making whether that be from a teacher in the classroom, right through to those designing policy. Pockets of data, admittedly of varying quality, exist from the moment a learner embarks on early years programmes or school readiness assessments, and we must learn how to better stitch that data together to create a profile of an individual. That will allow their learning experience to be tailored for better outcomes along their individual learning journeys. Data has the power to enable educators to see what is right for an individual to allow them to maximise their potential and the earlier these insights are available, the better the outcome.

Dáithí Murray

At St Paul’s High School, Bessbrook, a school of some 1,700 pupils with an annual intake of around 300 children, we are proudly non-selective in our admission. However, we are very clear that learners are streamed following admission. This a concept of personalised learning that has been around for decades, but I believe that as a system we can do better than personalising our learning by cohort and not by individuals. Schools have access to huge volume of data, and it is exciting to know that the discussion is being had about creating a framework to manage and better utilise that data to develop capacity in evidence-based practice.

“Data can support educators to better understand not just a child’s academic performance but their emotional wellbeing.”
Marianne Betts

John Anderson

The acceleration of digital technologies is transforming how we use data in education. There is now a greater understanding that qualitative data about learning is as important as quantitative scores. The main indicator is the assessment information provided about the progress of the learner. While education is learner-centred, there must be an understanding that teachers are central to that learning, so we need to have a conversation about teacher-learning in relation to using data. The advent of digital technologies in education, accelerated by the pandemic, has altered the previous model whereby teachers evaluated the understanding of learners and their progress to tailor their teaching. Now, the pupil is increasingly in a position to understand their own progress through more frequent and speedier feedback, and greater levels of peer and self-assessment. At the same time, teachers are benefitting from better methods and greater levels of feedback to reflect, tailor their teaching and share their learning with colleagues.

Frances Meehan

The learning experience we want to enhance must be about much more than the academic outcome. It also must be about safeguarding, intervention, and developing those softer skills. We know that the current system does not provide enough flexibility to meet the needs of all users. The Education Information System (EdIS) programme puts the child at the centre of everything we do and when we look at how data can be personalised to enhance a child’s experience, we see the first hurdle as data availability and reliably. At present, we have a system where we gather information on a child as they enter the education system but when that child moves school, that information does not follow them. As a system, we have multiple datasets in various locations, but we are not yet able to pull down the rich information to enable data-driven decisions. We are working to not only ensure data follows the child but also to deliver a master dataset that is recognised across the entire system from the Department of Education down to the individual child. A reliable and accessible learning record for every individual will enable the right interventions to be put in place at an earlier stage of their educational journey and to allow children to succeed in their chosen field in a way that works for them.

“Digital access has made educational progress information much more available to the learner, offering much more opportunity for self-regulation and developing their agency as a learner.”
John Anderson

What are the existing challenges in utilising data to create better educational outcomes in Northern Ireland?

Frances Meehan

The data council within the Education Authority, which I chair, is focused on addressing a broad range of barriers which we and others have identified. A major challenge we are working to address is not just siloed data, but siloed mindsets within organisations. Our own organisation is a prime example where we have teams of staff working within one service, but they work on separate data sets and rarely interact. We are working to achieve that holistic approach, which cuts out repetition and streamlines processes, however, the challenge is endemic across the system. Across government in Northern Ireland, we do not like to share data, and it is to our detriment. We as a service should not be asking people to provide information which is already held by another government department.

Another challenge is data quality and the need for data definitions. Effective educational outcomes from data are dependent on the source data being reliable. For example, if you want to access data about a particular school, currently you will often find up to 10 variations of that school on the system depending on how the name of the school was inputted into the system. Defining data to achieve a master data set, an absolute truth, is critical.

Kevin Marshall

The data quality issue is an ongoing challenge but one that will be fixed because it must be. Underpinning the challenge of data quality is a further challenge of siloed data, which is endemic across the system. To effectively solve these challenges, we need to have a common understanding of what we are trying to achieve. The focus must be on data linked to assessment. How you use data to build a much more continuous, summative, and formative assessment to improve student learning and build growth models. The absence of high-quality data is a barrier to that but it is also worth stating that having reliable data is only useful if practitioners can use it effectively. At the moment, data literacy is a barrier, and it is a skill that we all need to re-educate ourselves on.

Marianne Betts

Data intelligence and tech is changing the agency of students, who are being empowered to learn in different ways. Teachers have to respond to this and adopt a way which best marries their skills as educators with the application of data-driven learning. The challenge lies in getting ahead of this change and I think it is exciting that the EdIS programme has recognised this and is aiming for system-wide change. A separate point, we need to go beyond data quality to data consistency, to ensure longer term impacts are measurable. Sometimes in the drive for change for the future we lose consistency in the data we are collecting and the purposes we are utilising it for. To ensure consistency, there is space for a common framework of agreed long-term priorities for data being gathered, in parallel to constant evaluation to ensure quality.

John Anderson

What used to be a challenge is now an opportunity. Digital access has made educational progress information much more available to the learner, offering much more opportunity for self-regulation and developing their agency as a learner. We are fortunate that Northern Ireland’s curriculum includes a definition of the development of thinking skills and personal capabilities: educational outcomes are about much more than qualifications and public examinations. Digital technology is accelerating these skills and it is having an empowering effect on the learner at a younger age. However, we must ensure that impact is happening across every school. An additional challenge relates to establishing that single source of truth for data, which will place an emphasis on the data analysis skills of teachers, leaders and governors. Educators must be equipped with the skills to utilise the full potential of the data being collected.

“Having reliable data is only useful if practitioners can use it effectively.”
Kevin Marshall

Dáithí Murray

I think it was Ken Robinson who once said that the way we educate our children is often the biggest barrier to their progression, an idea based on the fact that we still educate children by their age and manufacture, rather than where they are in their personal development. Effective use of data can empower teachers and parents to better understand the needs of their children. However, I think there is a lot of work to be done to illustrate to teachers that data can be a tool for greater efficiency and workload reduction, rather than it being seen as an extra task for them to complete. Something that concerns me is how quickly some people have fallen back into pre-Covid practice. The response to Covid-19 was an accelerant to the use of digital technologies and the understanding of data that stemmed from that use. That institutional memory is at risk of being lost if we simply pivot back to how things were.

What future role will data play in supporting educators?

John Anderson

The historical distinction between summative and formative assessment is not valid anymore. The intensity of teacher/pupil feedback, when accelerated digitally, means that assessment has moved beyond the teach and test method. There is a significant difference in how teachers are thinking about learning progress based on data. Educators are also being supported by the adoption of the cloud-first approach, which is rapidly accelerating the ability of teachers to share solutions. Teachers are working to put their resources online on the understanding that young people are gaining value from accessing the information in their own time, but also that teachers are gaining value in more efficient use of classroom time. The investment of effort to save, accelerated in response to Covid-19, is bearing fruit.

Dáithí Murray

I have lots of examples whereby data and digital is empowering teachers to do much more meaningful micro-assessment within lessons. The digitisation of teaching material has enabled a flip of the model, something which has been talked about for over a decade, whereby students can access material in their own time and as much as they want, allowing the teacher to focus on effective engagement. Rather than getting to the end of a module where assessment is done through one high stakes test, teachers have daily opportunities to micro-assess development, which is transformational in delivering better outcomes and allows us to create something we have aspired to for a long time, a generation of reflective teachers.

“The learning experience we want to enhance must be about much more than the academic outcome.”
Frances Meehan

Frances Meehan

That reflective mindset will not only be of benefit to the child but will also aid teachers to be reflective on their approach to teaching.

Marianne Betts

Going back to that core of having the child at the centre of everything that we do, data can support educators to better understand not just a child’s academic performance but their emotional wellbeing. The feedback loop enabled by digital tools means that the educator can get immediate feedback not just on performance but also ascertain how the individual felt. Having that understanding can reframe the conversation about performance and help better equip educators on how they can structure learning to suit the individual.

Kevin Marshall

A powerful data strategy also requires a powerful research strategy. Evidence-based policy is predicated on a culture of quality qualitative and quantitative data assessment and one of the values of getting this right is that good data enables the development of predictive data models, which is particularly valuable when educating learners at risk. Predictive models can help educators identify those at risk and supports them to reduce that risk. There is huge potential, but it goes back to ensuring that a data framework and data literacy levels exist to maximise outcomes.

Can data provide a platform for innovation and continuous improvement in education?

Kevin Marshall

Yes, provided we do it properly. If we have truthful data, providing constant feedback for the learner, and then integrated into a new model of AI, we have a system where leaners are empowered in their choice of study or course, for example. If we can then integrate that idea into a whole-system approach, where learners and educators can see informal and formal pathways to learning, then we have a truly personalised approach. To ensure continuous improvement, we need a culture around the platform and data which understands not just how to gather and disseminate the data, but actually how to use it. Data is an enabler of insight. If we can get it right at a macro level, then professionals and teachers will have a platform to bring these insights into our communities. However, it is important that a key part of that culture is constant re-evaluation.

Frances Meehan

Data is a powerful tool, but it is only one within the toolbox. One of the key benefits of data is the rich environment it provides for us to identify areas of weakness that will facilitate interventions to drive improvements. It creates room for innovation in these areas to change or adapt a model which is not having the impact we had initially aimed for. However, data is just a start point for innovation, not an end. In a recent pilot programme, we conducted a self-reflection framework on where schools were on their digital journey. One of the unexpected benefits was that when we brought educators together to discuss the data, there was clear collaboration and innovative thinking to drive solutions and improvements. Innovation comes from relationship building and a confidence to share, which data can provide a platform for.

Marianne Betts

If we get this right, innovation on the back of trustworthy data has the potential to go beyond a change of approach of our educators but actually drive curriculum change and the types of skills that are being taught. Skills like critical thinking are happening earlier and earlier in the learning journey, and we can utilise data to maximise application of skills such as this to the future workforce and equally, map skills gaps to curriculum, developing the right skills for future local economic growth.

Frances Meehan

Exactly, we then start to look at innovation in a different frame, where data-driven innovation goes beyond just our education system but is able to drive continuous improvement across the areas of our Programme for Government such as health and the economy.

“I believe that as a system we can do better than personalising our learning by cohort and not by individuals.”
Dáithí Murray

Dáithí Murray

Undoubtedly data can provide a platform for innovation and continuous improvement, but it goes beyond education, we need to broaden its impact into our communities and society. When we talk about innovation, we need to be careful we do not over complicate things. There are some obvious solutions we can implement to drive improvement. For example, one area where I see data being a platform for change is around those pupils who need extra support. The earlier we can get the information into the system, and we allow that information to travel with the pupil, then the more innovative we can be in achieving the Programme for Government’s ambition of ensuring every person enjoys long, healthy, active lives, and break the inflexibility of a system that has brought about one of the most over tested generations of students in the world.

John Anderson

Up until now we have discussed how data intelligence is an enabler of the learner to improve their capacity and performance and those important ‘soft skills’, however, innovation is also about ensuring education is meeting the changing needs of society. For example, the Shared Education Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 places a duty on the Department of Education and the Education Authority to encourage, facilitate, and promote shared education. Where we have a data-driven system of shared teaching, learning, and of shared objectives, technology is an enabler of programmes of study and online courses that facilitates students studying and working together.

Outline one way data can break down barriers to underachievement to give every child a ‘fair start’ and create a strong position for Northern Ireland?

Frances Meehan

Data following a child through their learner journey will be a huge step forward in breaking down the barriers to underachievement, this will ensure all those who should have access to a child’s information will have access from pre-school through to the end of their educational journey. That information is not restricted to educational attainment but how they best learn, what interventions worked for them etc. this data will facilitate timely interventions to support educational outcomes.

John Anderson

The Fair Start report rightly outlined eight key areas to address but missed the empowering role of digital technologies within each. The term ‘ICT’ is outdated and if we can fully recognise the potential of digital technology at a policy level, we can empower improvement and harness the advancements we have made over the past thirty years, particularly those necessitated by response to the pandemic.

Dáithí Murray

We saw during the pandemic how quickly the system can pivot. Technology and data have helped close the gap for administrators, teachers and within classrooms, now let us put devices into the hands of every child and equip them to utilise its potential.

Marianne Betts

As part of a cohesive data set following the child through their learning journey, we should ensure this also reflects their wellbeing. A child will not reach their learning potential without being a resilient individual, free to learn in a safe and engaging environment. Overall, data can help break down barriers to maximising attainment and developing new skills for each child. Data is a powerful tool, not just as an accelerant, but as an equaliser in education and learning.

Kevin Marshall

I would identify devices, broadband, and content as the main means to break down barriers. However, we need to address this on an all-island basis, recognising that there are soon going to be 10 million people on this island. We need to work on solutions that will keep us competitive in the macro challenges in the next two decades and learn lessons from other countries, such as Great Britain, where underinvestment in some communities is being evidenced.

Round table participants

John Anderson is a Visiting Professor of Education at Ulster University and is independent chairman of the Innovation Forum. Formerly a teacher and inspector, Anderson was national director in the UK Microelectronics Education Programme and coordinated the development of education technologies in Northern Ireland schools.
Marianne Betts is the Managing Director of Capita Schools and has worked directly in the public sector for over 13 years. Previously, her roles included establishing Entrust Education Services with Staffordshire County Council; enabling the setup of Learn Sheffield and providing bursary services to schools as Finance and Commercial Director at Sheffield City Council. Betts is also a Trustee for the Wilf Ward Family Trust, a charity providing support, choice, and opportunity for adults with profound learning and physical difficulties.
Kevin Marshall is the Head of Learning and Skills at Microsoft Ireland, leading a team of dedicated professionals committed to enhancing the quality of teaching and learning using technology. He has represented IBEC on several committees, Teaching Council, National Council Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). He is currently a board member of SOLAS.
Frances Meehan is the Education Authority’s (EA) Director of Education Information Solutions (EdIS) Programme. Meehan has 30 years’ experience in procurement and programme management, leading significant transformation and change management projects in the public sector.
Dáithí Murray has been the vice principal of St Paul’s High School, Bessbrook since 2015, having previously served as the school’s senior leader for innovation and director of ICT from 2016. Murray is a principal examiner of CCEA and serves as the director for Middletown Centre for Autism.