As our world becomes increasingly digitized, the data that is created is beginning to play a powerful role in society. From candidates using it to win elections to saving taxpayer dollars, big data is transforming the way decisions are made. SUNY’s push to most efficiently allocate resources is among the key players using big data and one of the most influential education institutions to do so.
Dr. Brian Lowe, associate professor of sociology at SUNY Oneonta, explains why “Big Data” is becoming a focus of academic inquiry in today’s edition of The Academic Minute, airing at 3:56 p.m. on WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
As part of an interdisciplinary team of researchers from SUNY Oneonta, Dr. Lowe is collaborating with researchers from Penn State and the University at Buffalo on a new effort to train students in the emerging field of social data analytics. The project, supported by SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology Grant funding, will teach SUNY Oneonta undergraduates to organize “Big Data”—the vast amount of information generated every day through social media and other electronic interactions, from making a purchase to posting a tweet.
With this tremendous data-gathering capability comes a variety of ethical questions. In analyzing the impact of our “Big Data”-driven society, SUNY Oneonta students will examine privacy issues and questions of morality, public opinion, popular culture and risk.
The SUNY Oneonta team includes members of the Political Science, Sociology and Philosophy departments, and the Teaching, Learning and Technology Center.
Explore big data in education with world business, education, and information systems leaders at this year’s annual SUNY Critical Issues in Higher Education Conference: ‘Building a Smarter University‘!