Data that is accompanied by embedded usage guidance just as over-the-counter products are accompanied by embedded usage guidance. Data systems and reports can feature over-the-counter data by adhering to Over-the-Counter Data Standards ( www.overthecounterdata.com/s/OTCDStandards.pdf AU63: The URL http://www.overthecounterdata.com/s/OTCDStandards.pdf has been redirected to http://overthecounterdata.com/s/OTCDStandards.pdf. Please verify the URL. ) when reporting data to educators and other education stakeholders in order to improve their understanding and use of the data. The standards involve implementation of effective labels, supplemental documentation, a help system, package/display, and content.
Published in Chapter:
Data System-Embedded Guidance Significantly Improves Data Analyses: When Data Is Made ‘Over-the-Counter' for Users
Jenny Grant Rankin (Northcentral University, USA)
Copyright: © 2016
|Pages: 27
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-8833-9.ch005
Abstract
In the field of Education, computerized data systems are used to manage, retrieve, and analyze information. Educators view this information in the form of data reports, which educators use to inform decisions that impact students. These decisions are frequently undermined by misunderstandings concerning the data and its implications. Yet data systems and their reports typically display data without any guidance concerning the data's proper analysis. In a quantitative study, medicine labeling conventions were applied to data systems to embed guidance in the proper use of contents. Among 211 educators of varied backgrounds and roles, data analyses were found to be 307% more accurate when a report label/footer was present, 205% more accurate when a 1-page reference sheet was present, and 273% more accurate when a reference guide was present. Findings hold implications for those who provide or use tools for high-stakes information retrieval, analysis, and/or management, particularly in Education.