A decade of research into the application of big data and analytics in higher education: A systematic review of the literature

Abstract

The need for data-driven decision-making primarily motivates interest in analysing Big Data in higher education. Although there has been considerable research on the value of Big Data in higher education, its application to address critical issues within the sector is still limited. This systematic review, conducted in December 2021 and encompassing 75 papers, analysed the applications of Big Data and analytics in higher education. The focus was on their usage in supporting learning, teaching and administration as reported in papers indexed in SCOPUS, Web of Science and IEEE Xplore. The key findings from the review revealed that Big Data and analytics are predominantly used to support learning and, to a lesser extent, guide teaching and informing administrative decision-making processes. The review also identified a set of studies focused on supporting student well-being. Further, we extend the use of Big Data in higher education to include the well-being of students and staff. This paper contributes to the growing debate on the practical use of Big Data and analytics to provide valuable insights for solving systemic challenges facing high education in the twenty-first century.