Scholarly Insight Autumn 2016: A Data Wrangler Perspective

We are pleased to offer you our first Scholarly insight 2016: a Data wrangler perspective. The OU is going through several fundamental changes, whereby strategic, pedagogical informed research and insight what drives student learning and academic performance is essential. Making sense of Big Data in particular can be a challenge, especially when data is stored at different data warehouses and require advanced statistical skills to interpret complex patterns of data. In 2012 the Open University UK (OU) instigated a Data Wrangling initiative, which provided every Faculty with a dedicated academic with expertise in data analysis and whose task is to provide strategic, pedagogical, and sense-making advice to staff and senior management. Given substantial changes within the OU over the last 18 months (e.g., new Faculty structure, real-time dashboards, increased reliance on analytics), an extensive discussion with various stakeholders within the Faculties was initiated to make sure that data wranglers provide effective pedagogical insight based upon best practice and evidence-based analyses and research (see new Data wrangler structure)...