Data-informed decision-making
Data-informed decision-making gives reference to the collection and analysis of data to guide decisions that improve success. DIDM is used in education communities but is also applicable to other fields in which data is used to inform decisions. While data based decision making is a more common term, data-informed decision-making is a preferable term since decisions should not be based solely on quantitative data. Most educators have access to a data system for the purpose of analyzing student data. These data systems present data to educators in an over-the-counter data format to improve the success of educators’ data-informed decision-making. In Business, fostering and actively supporting DIDM in their firm and among their colleagues could be the main rôle of CIOs or CDOs.
Assessment in higher education is a form of DIDM aimed at using evidence of what students learn to improve curriculum, student learning, and teaching. Standardized tests, grades, and student work scored by rubrics are forms of student learning outcomes assessment. There are numerous organizations aimed at promoting the assessment of student learning through DIDM including the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment, the Association for the Assessment of Student Learning in Higher Education, and, to an extent, the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
