SLEUTHING FOR CLUES: Big Data's all the rage, but Big Data can also be overwhelming and difficult to make sense of. So the Department of Education's trying to help with a new report on different "evidence approaches" that can help educators and developers assess and refine the efficacy of digital learning programs. Methods covered include educational data mining, A/B testing, design-based implementation research (DBIR), and evidence-centered design (ECD). Lost yet? Don't worry; the report does a respectable job defining all the acronyms and terms it uses. Those wanting a quick digest should skip to the Evidence Strategy Framework, which summarizes the evidence-gathering methods covered in the report and the different kinds of questions, evidence, and use cases each address.
