Running Head: ED 690: PAPER 1

ED 690 Paper
David M. Maimone
Loyola University
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ED 690: Impact of Algorithms in Education

Use of Algorithms in Education
In the book, Hello World: Being Human in the Age of Algorithms, Hannah Fry shows the

readers ways in which algorithms are used and how those algorithms impact our daily lives in

areas such as medicine and the justice system. Fry also states that while algorithms have many

benefits, they also can have negative impacts. For example, Fry shows how the use of

algorithms can help to identify crime in certain areas. This sounds great, but Fry then goes on to

show the impact of that algorithm. Once an area is identified as being a high crime area, more

police are dispatched to that area. The more police that are in the area, the more crime will be

found, the more crime that is found, the more the algorithm will continue to identify that area. It

can become a self-perpetuating cycle. According to Williamson (2016), “algorithms are step by

step instructions written by computer programmers to solve particular problems.” (p. 1). While

Fry acknowledges the benefit of using algorithms, she also points out that gone unchecked by

human reason, the data obtained by algorithms may be either flawed from the start or may have

unintended consequences. Williamson (2016) also realized this, “Algorithms, also need to be

understood as social products. Any algorithmic system is ultimately the product of human hands

and minds designed to accomplish the purposes and goals of its producers and promoters.” (p. 1).

So while algorithms are fantastic at processing big data, they only fine what they are intended to

find and they may have unintended consequences in the real world. In education, algorithms are

used to process data from schools, students and teachers to help educators make better and

quicker decisions and to help them see patterns that they may never knew were there. But while

the use of algorithms can certainly help schools and teachers make informed decisions about

students, there are also negative consequences. In our society, most people take the education

system as it is at face value and trust the results of standardized tests and student achievement. It
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is important for stakeholders such as politicians, educators, parents, and students to understand

the impact that algorithms have on the education system so that they can make the best decisions

for students.

How Algorithms Impact Schools

Jeff Watson (2018), in his article entitled, “Use of Predictive Analytics to Empower

Educators,” list three main arguments for organizations to use algorithms: 1. It is impossible for

humans to process all the data available. 2. The computational approach to data analysis will

likely be more precise than other methods. And 3. The data obtained can focus the organization

on what it values most. In terms of schools and school systems, this is a huge benefit. The

ability to use algorithms to analyze huge data sets can show patterns in terms of academic

achievement, behavior, equity, and discipline practices. Not only will this data analysis be more

precise than other methods of data collection, it can point to areas that schools may not have seen

as strengths or weaknesses. This can allow school systems to make data-based decisions and

predictions on macro issues as well as to drill down to the individual classroom or student. Plus,

these algorithms are more accurate than humans in making predictions, “…mathematical

algorithms, no matter how simple, will almost always make better predictions than people…”

(Lynch, 2018, p. 22). Imagine the knowledge educators gain from the use of algorithms. They

can see which content areas students struggle with the most, which groups of students are

suspended the most, and which schools perform well and which do not. The benefit to this is

that is allows school systems to focus their energy and resources on where the needs are or where

the system wants to change. Without the use of algorithms, schools would only be guessing

what to address.
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Even with the accuracy and predictive value of algorithms, schools need to be careful to

not get too wrapped up in the numbers. There is a danger in putting too much faith in the data to

make decisions without applying human reason. It is this consequence of using algorithms that

leads schools to use standardized test scores to predict a student’s success and to determine the

educational path that student will take. While this is usually good for students who are high

achievers, it will sometimes crush students who may have other talents that the algorithm doesn’t

pick up. It is up to people to use the data but then to apply their reason and judgement to it.

“Predictive analytics represents a new tool set, but the real work of solving problems and

adapting to our challenges is accomplished by people.” (Watson, para.3).

How Algorithms Impact Students

The whole purpose of the education system is to help students learn. Algorithms can help

students do just that. In a class of 30 students, it is nearly an impossible task for a teacher to be

able to look at every data point from every student and then make quick, informed analysis of

specifically what each student does well and what they need help with. But this is what students

need. If schools used algorithms to analyze student data then “…you’re more likely to end up

with a more accurate (and possibly earlier) diagnoses than any human detector could manage.”

(Lynch, 2018, p. 97). This could lead to being able to put intervention strategies in earlier to

help students before they become too far behind. Algorithms have been used to improve long-

term student retention and graduations rates by using predictive analytics to streamline the

implementation of intervention strategies for students (Watson, 2018). This is data analysis that

would have been impossible without algorithms. Students at risk would have been missed and

without the early intervention would probably have dropped out. Algorithms can also help

students know where they perform best. Analysis of student data can identify student strengths
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an talents and help them choose majors based on areas they are likely to perform best (Dickson,

2017). Using algorithms have many benefits for students.

But the use of predictive analytics and algorithms can have some downsides particularly

when it comes to using non-academic data such as race, gender, SES, and age. According to

Flynn (2016), these factors, along with school performance are often used in algorithms as

“contextual predictors” of student performance. While it is certain that students who are of a

certain race, gender, socioeconomic status, or age do have advantages and disadvantages in

society, one has to be careful when using these factors to not mistake correlation and causation.

The algorithm itself doesn’t determine correlation or causation. It just computes numbers. It is

in the analysis that this can become a problem and have serious consequences for students and

their educational futures. In a study that looked at the predictive validity of the SAT test in both

black and white institutions, Flemming and Garcia (1998) found that the predictive measures

varied between black and white students as well as male and female students depending on what

type of university they attended (traditionally black or white colleges). The SATs use as a

predictive measure of success was dependent on many factors other than the test score. This is

frightening for students in an age when test scores are the most powerful decision-making tool in

schools and higher ed today. Again, it needs to come back to people, using the data but applying

reason and judgement to that data. There are many factors that the numbers don’t show such as

determination, interest, motivation, collaboration skills, etc. Often, these unquantifiable things

are what determines a student’s success in school, not an SAT score.

How Algorithms Impact Teachers

According to Lynch (2018) artificial intelligence (AI) can benefit teachers in many ways.

AI can automate grading, provide personalized help, and to assist with routine tasks such as
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tracking attendance and behavior. Lynch goes on to say that the use of algorithms to analyze

data at the student, classroom, school, and district level can identify classroom weaknesses and

strengths. Algorithms can often pick up on patterns of student learning that the teacher may not

be able to see. “…teachers often miss gaps in their lectures and educational materials, which can

confuse students and hamper the learning experience. AI can help find those shortcomings and

alert teachers in a timely fashion” (Dickson, para.13). There are two things here that algorithms

can do that are a benefit to teachers. The first is by analyzing a lot of student data can see

patterns that a teacher more than likely won’t be able to see. The second is see these patterns and

alert teachers in time for teachers to correct the issue before it is compounded over time. One

thing we see in education with students who are below grade level is that when students are

young, the learning gap is small. As students move through the grades the learning gap gets

much wider. If an algorithm is able to identify these gaps in instruction or learning at a younger

age, this can only help the students and the teachers.

There are a few problems that arise however when using algorithms. First of all, for

teachers, when it comes to relying on algorithms to help identify and program for students is not

in what the data can show them, but what it doesn’t. As was mentioned earlier, there are certain

things that algorithms cannot quantify. For example, Fry (2018) asks the question of how we

know if something is good or beautiful. The concepts of goodness and beauty for example are

very difficult to quantify because at their core, they are based on individual judgement.

“Unfortunately, in trying to find an objective measure of quality we come up against a deeply

contentious philosophical question…How do we judge the aesthetic value of art? (Fry, 2018,

p.184). But there are other qualities of students and educators that are extremely important but

can’t necessarily be quantified and computed with an algorithm. Qualities such as perseverance,
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motivation, cooperation, inquisitiveness, and dependableness are just a few. But all of which

impact a student’s performance and the success of a classroom.

And there are other dangers of solely relying on algorithms, particularly when it comes to

teacher evaluation. In an article entitled Death by Algorithm, McGuire (2012) discusses how

algorithms are used to judge and evaluate teachers in Washington D.C. The article states that

when students score less than expected (as predicted by an algorithm) the teacher is

consequence. This is very scary prospect for teachers. There are so many variables that impact a

student’s ability to perform on standardized testing that are out of a teacher’s control. Things

such as housing, money, access to early education, attendance, and support at home are just a

few. If school systems just rely on student data to evaluate teachers, then what motivation would

there be for teachers to work in the poorest and toughest schools? Wouldn’t teachers want to

work in schools where the probability for good test scores would be best? This is why it is

important to again state that algorithms are an extremely useful tool for educators to analyze

data. But they should not be used blindly. Fry (2018) states it best when she writes, “In my

view, the best algorithms are the ones that take the human into account at every stage” (p. 201).

Why is it important for Stakeholders to Understand?

So why is it important for stakeholders to understand how these algorithms work? The

short answer is: because so much is riding on them. So much of a child’s future is determined by

data. Standardized test scores determine everything from which classes students will take in first

grade to which college a student will get into. While algorithms compute what they are

programmed to compute, who decides which data points should be included. Who is to prevent

school systems and computer programmers to include things such as socioeconomic status,
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gender, or race. Just because an outcome may be correlated with these factors doesn’t mean they

necessarily are the cause of certain outcomes.

Ravipati (2017) stated that algorithms are only as good as the coders who create them or

the data sets that feed into them. When you think about it, this puts a lot of power to control

students’ lives in the hands of a few individuals. This can put too much control in the hands of

governments or private companies who can adjust the algorithms to perpetuate biases and limit

choices for students. Take for example educational software programs or standardized test

scores that rely on algorithms to make decisions of what classes or what content a student should

learn. What if those tools are biased against students of different races or students with

disabilities? Would educators, parents or students even know? (Harold & Schwartz, 2018).

Probably not. Therefore, before educators, legislators, or parents use test scores to pigeonhole

students into a future, they really should understand what the algorithms are based on and what

those test scores really indicate. And, consequently, they more importantly need to know what

those scores don’t indicate. Algorithms can get us just so far, and if we just give ourselves over

to them, we will miss talent in students that exists that the data doesn’t pick up on. Using

algorithms with human judgement, if done correctly, can incorporate the best of both worlds.

Conclusion

Mariel, Kyndt et. al. (2012) make the case that the education system needs to develop

new ways of assessment, breaking away from the traditional modes of assessment. They argue

that not only should the content knowledge be considered, but also a students’ individual

characteristics of learning. In their opinion, it would improve the quality of the assessment. At

minimum it will be a step in the right direction. A step away from viewing algorithm results as

the end of the story. A step toward looking at a students’ performance and their individuality,
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creativity, and determination. There are many educational benefits to using algorithms to do

things that humans just can’t do. But there are also dangers to using them. It is clear from the

research that a combination of both is the best. Fry (2018) sums it up this concept best when

writing about the justice system, “Because-remarkably-with an algorithm as part of the process,

both consistency and individualized justice can be guaranteed. No one needs to choose between

them.” (p. 54). The education system should not choose between human judgement and

algorithmic data when it comes to a student’s education. With a little knowledge and flexibility

in the system, we can have the best of both worlds.

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References

Dickson, B. (2017, March 9). How Artificial Intelligence is Changing Education. Retrieved from

https://bdtechtalks.com/2017/03/09/artificial-intelligence-education-edtech/

Flemming, J. & Garcia, N. (1998). Are Standardized Tests Fair to African Americans?:

Predictive Validity of the SAT in Black and White Institutions. Journal of Higher Education

69 (5), 471-495. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.goucher.idm.oclc.org/

education/docview/205302066/A77C2250A4A043EAPQ/3?accountid=11164.

Fry, H. (2018) Hello World: Being Human in the Age of Algorithms. New York, New York

W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Fynn, A. (2016). Ethical Considerations in the Practical Application of the Unisa Socio-Critical

Model of Student Success. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning

17 (6), 206-220. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1122246.pdf.

Herold, B. & Schwartz, S. (2018. April 18). Algorithmic Bias: A Rising Concern for K-12

Ed-Tech Field. Education Week. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/

2017/04/19/algorithmic-bias-a-rising-concern-for-k-12.html.

Lynch, M. (2018, May 5). 7 Roles for Artificial Intelligence in Education. The Tech Edvocate.

Retrieved from https://www.thetechedvocate.org/7-roles-for-artificial-intelligence-in-

education/.

McGuire, P. (2018, April 18). Death by Algorithm. Huffpost. Retrieved from

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https://www.huffpost.com/entry/teacher-evaluations_b_1328456.

Musso, M., Kyndt, E., Cascallar, E., Dochy, F. (2012). Predicting Mathematical Performance: The Effect

Of Cognitive Processes and Self-Regulation Factors. Education Research International vol. 2012

1-13. DOI:10.1155/2012/250719.

Ravipati, S. (2017, February 23). Outsmarting the Machine. Redesigning Education to Make Students,

Teachers, Relevant in the Algorithm Age. The Journal: Transforming Education Through

Technology. Retrieved from https://thejournal.com/articles/2017/02/23/redesigning-education-

to-make-students-teachers-relevant-in-the-algorithm-age.aspx.

Watson, J. (2018, January 12). Use Predictive Analytics to Empower Educators. Hoonuit. Retrieved

from: https://www.hoonuit.com/blog/use-predictive-analytics-to-empower-educators

3/24/19.

Williamson, B. (2016). Powerful Algorithms in Education. Code Acts in Education research summary 1.

University of Stirling. Retrieved from: https://codeactsineducation.wordpress.com/ 3/25/19.

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