How Business Intelligence Can Help in Education
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Today's educational system has the upper hand over the one from decades ago simply because of technology. With the rise of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and smartphones, students and teachers have seen an increase in the simplification of their work.
For example, when a student needs to improve their essay writing skills, they can use AI chatbots. But since those never guarantee correct information, you need alternatives. The other option is to turn to sites like Edubirdie if you need to get help with essay writing. The pros here are that it will do homework or any other assignment — quickly and of great quality.
Considering that schools today work with huge amounts of data, the need to structure and streamline it in a simple and easy process that would enable quick access grows. That is where technology lends a hand through business intelligence (BI). But what does it mean, and how does it help in education?
This is the importance of business intelligence in education.
Business Intelligence: Meaning
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The procedure of collecting data, analyzing it, and transforming it into something that can be readily used is business intelligence. With it, institutions get direct insights into their data.
They can easily extract what they need, structure it in a way that would be simple to understand, and deliver it or use it as needed.
How Business Analytics Are Used in Education
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One of the many answers to the question, "How has technology improved education?" lies in BI. As we mentioned, schools have huge batches of data — from enrollment information to curriculums and test scores.
What’s more, they use this data to present it to shareholders and different authorities to (in most cases) receive funding. So they need a way to collect that data and transform it in a way that is simple and easy to find and use.
That is where business intelligence enters the scene. In the most simple explanation, BI analysis enables schools to dig into batches of data and quickly find past trends or needed information. It might be as simple as a student file or a past curriculum.
Who Exactly Uses Business Intelligence in Education
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Seeing that we’re talking about data in education, naturally, the ones that would use it the most are the administration and the financial sector. When it comes to the financial sector, we’re mainly talking about accounting.
By having all relevant and new data, accountants ensure financial reports are accurate (with minimal human error) and timely. Simply put, all financial transactions, like school salaries, are facilitated.
As for the administration, this sector needs all available data to ensure quality education. Having this data at hand means that teachers can create better curriculums that are tailored to their students’ needs. Hence, it indirectly helps pupils work on their educational intelligence.
What Business Intelligence Tools Are Used?
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To promote business intelligence in schools, its tools must be used. Naturally, countless tools ensure organizations collect data and store it safely. But it doesn’t mean that they all fit when it comes to education and intelligence.
Schools mainly need BI tools that provide tracking of different types of data and their structuring in separate batches of one or several warehouses. Of course, their access needs to be safe and quick. That way, every relevant figure (like the dean or a teacher) can extract them when needed.
Some examples of highly used BI tools include Microsoft Power BI, Oracle BI, and Tableau. All of these work with big batches of data and provide visual representations, further boosting ease of use.
How Does Business Intelligence Help in the Structure of Education?
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Business intelligence may sound out of touch when combined with education, but the procedure as a whole has a great impact. Working from behind the curtains, BI helps education in the following ways:
- Data Visibility — BI helps all figures (deans, teachers, and other faculty members) reach the desired data in a few seconds. They later extract it and use it as needed.
- Data-based decision-making — By having the relevant data, decision-making processes are simplified. For example, BI may point to the increase or decrease in a teacher's or student’s performance, directing in the right way to enhance the school’s results.
- Improved performance — BI keeps track of students’ performance, subject preferences, and interests. It creates a data set that can be used to improve study plans and teaching strategies.
Bottom Line: Business Intelligence Can Create Better Learning Environments
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Technology has so far provided immense help in education. Students use AI and ML to help them study, while teachers use AI to create better curriculums.
BI is just another form of improved intelligence that, when used correctly, can help schools improve their performance. It tailors studies to students’ needs, hence creating a better learning environment.
This article is a partnership with Edubirdie.