[Air-L] Why do computational methods matter for education? Jan 18th at 4pm GMT

[Mark Carrigan]

In an infamous article from 2008 the editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine
argued that ‘big data’ made the scientific method obsolete. While hype
about the data deluge has become more nuanced since then, it is undeniable
that digital data has led to profound transformations in social scientific
methodology. Disciplines and fields such as Data Science, Computational
Social Science, Critical Data Studies and Web Science have transformed the
landscape of the social sciences. What do these changes mean for
educational research and educational practice?

The field of Educational Data Science has grown rapidly in recent years but
there are still large pockets of educational research in which qualitative,
ethnographic and theoretical approaches predominate. What role can
computational methods play within traditions of inquiry which have tended
to forego quantification? What are the strengths and limitations of
computational approaches? How do they differ from traditional quantitative
methods? What should the methodological toolkit of the educational
researcher look like in an era of abundant digital data?

In the first DTCE Digital Dialogue we’re pleased to welcome three leading
experts in the field for a debate about computational methods and the
future of educational research. Michele Martini (University of Lugano),
Juan Pablo Pardo-Guerra (University of California San Diego) and Genevieve
Smith-Nunes (University of Cambridge) will reflect on these questions in
conversation with DTCE’s Dr Mark Carrigan, with plenty of opportunity for
audience participation.

*Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4QAeZGL7Qteb8CcKVlbRfg
<https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4QAeZGL7Qteb8CcKVlbRfg>*