Abstract: Huge amount of data is generated each day, and big data research can be applied in various fields to analyze and extract new knowledge from this big amount of data, with education being one of the most important applications. However, few researchers are focused on comparative analysis of big data application in education between China and the US. In this paper, we analyze the differences between these two countries in their applications of big data theory to the education field. In addition, we also discuss the ethical challenges of these applications, such as how China and US protect privacy in educational field when applying big data research. Finally, this paper also discusses the lessons learned from the development of big data applications to the education field. This includes privacy protection, which could be used to help policy makers of countries around the world regulate the application of big data theory in the education field.
Authors: Ting Zhang (Beijing Jiaotong University & Information Technology Center, China); Clara Elizabeth and Renzhi Cao (Pacific Lutheran University, USA)
Email: zhangt@plu.edu, bakerce@plu.edu, caora@plu.edu