CHALLENGES OF USING BIG DATA ON ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN RESEARCH IN UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This paper examined Challenges of Using Big Data on Assessment of Students Academic Performance in Research in University. The study was guided by two research questions. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The study was conducted in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State. The population of the study comprised of 1800 Lecturers in university of Port Harcourt Rivers State. The sample consists of 327lecturers in Faculty of Education and Social Science Faculty in University of Port Harcourt using Taro Yamane formula. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire titled: challenges of using big data on assessment of students academic performance in research (CUBDASAPR). The instrument was validated using experts in Measurement and Evaluation. The consistency reliability coefficient of 0.87 was tested using Cronbach coefficient alpha. Mean and standard Deviation statistics were used to answer the two research questions. The findings of the study revealed that adequate data analysis skills and the potential for bias in data interpretation were parts of challenges. It was recommended that Universities should leverage big data effectively to assess student academic performance in research while ensuring accuracy, fairness, and compliance with ethical and privacy standards.