Data Mining and its Applications in Distance Education

Open educational institutions require a platform of MIS and DSS in order to provide better learning support, as today the “knowledge” that the society demands is with more interactivity, more information, correct and cohesive, complete details. The educational institutions have thus, faced a paradigm shift in terms of knowledge dissemination and rendering pedagogical support. These institutes are conceived as institutions that impart education to the masses. Data Mining has emerged as an extension of statistical methods for discovering knowledge and facts hidden in huge datasets. Knowledge gained thus, addresses the DSS and MIS to strengthen an existing operational front. On the other hand, the educational institutions that have accumulated a huge quantum of learners’ data over a period are often unaware of the use of this data for understanding their own learners. Institutions are thus bound to convert their database into data warehouse leading to convergence in data marts. Periodical review of data marts and creation of MIS and DSS in the educational intuitions is becoming an essential requirement in order to attain their objectives and goals.