Iste Standards for coaches: 4.6 Data-Driven decision-maker

At Teach Tech Tour Coach, we understand the importance of data-driven decision-making in education. As ISTE Standard 4.6, we empower coaches to support and model the effective use of both quantitative and qualitative data to inform professional learning, ensuring best practices in protecting, collecting, and analyzing data. We assist educators in interpreting and utilizing data to empower students to learn, measure progress, and set meaningful goals.

 

It is essential for instructors to know how to create safe, effective, well-organized learning communities online. Even before the arrival of COVID-19, higher education was becoming increasingly virtual. Once the pandemic took hold, schools around the world quickly transitioned to online delivery, and professors began looking for simple solutions they could enact quickly to make their classes more engaging. Advice about online learning abounds. But how can faculty sift through all the options to determine the best way to deliver courses online? Which approaches have the optimal impact on the student learning experience?

We are part of a Committee to Advance Teaching and Learning (CATL) at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in Ohio. When the pandemic struck, Ray Braun, dean of the Schmidthorst College of Business, charged the CATL with crafting and implementing a rapid response plan for the school. We soon realized that one of our most pressing responsibilities was to identify the minimum specifications for asynchronous distance learning courses.

Our first step was to create a preliminary laundry list of these minimum requirements by reviewing the literature and asking faculty open-ended questions about the fast transition to online learning. Our second step was to seek input from BGSU’s department chairs and program directors. They had two urgent recommendations: Keep the list concise, and avoid labeling the items on our list as “minimum requirements,” because faculty might find such language too controlling. By taking both of these recommendations seriously, we were able to distill our list into The Ten Core Practices Essential to Distance Learning Experiences.

Drawing General Conclusions

Despite the work we have done so far, our document is a work in progress. To make certain that we have identified the best core practices, we have administered a survey to faculty and students at BGSU, as well as four faculty colleagues from other institutions. Of the 161 responses, roughly 54 percent were from faculty and 44 percent from students. While we will continue to examine the data for more insights, we have drawn several key conclusions.

First, these are the right core practices. Almost 94 percent of faculty and 100 percent of students agree with this statement: “Overall, this set of ten core practices accurately represents the essential elements for a quality distance learning experience.” More than 96 percent of the total respondents rank the top practice as important, while even the tenth practice on the list is considered important by 66 percent. And while the two groups assign different weight to some practices, they both prize practical mechanics over-active learning experiences.

The three Priority A practices focus on clear communication, content, and feedback.

Therefore, we created and ranked four categories within the ten core elements. The three Priority A practices focus on clear communication, content, and feedback; each one has a total importance score of more than 90 percent. The Priority B practices revolve around creating learning spaces where all students feel safe and included; the ones in this grouping all have a score of 85 percent or better. Priority C,which is unique enough to be in a category all by itself, deals with academic integrity; it has a rating of almost 84 percent. The Priority D practices facilitate an engaging and meaningful interactive experience; the three items in this category all rate 80 or below.

Respondents consider all ten core practices useful for a quality distance learning experience. By prioritizing some over others, we are basically separating the good ones from the great ones.

In the coming months, we will continue to update an online repository of resources, which will be made available through the LibGuides maintained by BGSU’s University Libraries. But for now, here is the current list.

The Ten Core Practices

1: Provide a variety of relevant and timely feedback.

Total importance: 96.1%
Instructor importance: 94.4%
Student importance: 98.2%

In addition to offering feedback, the instructor creates mechanisms that foster student-to-student feedback (peer and double loop learning). This ensures that students focus on their own learning, believe the feedback is credible, and stay motivated to improve themselves.

2: Keep students informed with regular communication.

Total importance: 94.9%
Instructor importance: 97.2%
Student importance: 96.5%

The instructor sends communications on a predictable basis using a standard medium. This promotes consistency and efficiency in the course, enables students to be proactive, increases confidence, reduces stress, and fosters learning safety.

3: Curate content that is accessible to all students.

Total importance: 92.2%
Instructor importance: 90.1%
Student importance: 94.9%

The instructor provides content, including lectures, in mixed media forms that allow students to read, listen, view, and engage with the material. Because students want to be more prepared for class events and assignments, they intentionally study the information in advance, which enables the instructor to build upon the content with active learning experiences.

4: Coordinate all activities, events, and due dates though a central calendar.

Total importance: 87.6%
Instructor importance: 86.1%
Student importance: 89.5%

When students can set notifications and access calendar information on multiple devices, they can manage their own time, take responsibility for their learning, and be accountable for their coursework.

5. Create a two-way conversation with students.

Total importance: 86.8%
Instructor importance: 87.3%
Student importance: 86.0%

The instructor proactively meets with students both synchronously during live activities and asynchronously in forums. This creates a sense of connection between students and the instructor, increases the instructor's presence within the class, and builds a trusting relationship among all the classmates.

6. Ensure the students’ user experience is friendly and sticky.

Total importance: 86.2%
Instructor importance: 88.9%
Student importance: 82.7%

The instructor provides a concise, appealing, and easy-to-navigate online structure and setup for the course. This encourages students to leverage learning management system features that save time for themselves and for faculty, while reducing errors.

7. Protect the academic honesty and integrity of the course.

Total importance: 83.8%
Instructor importance: 88.9%
Student importance: 77.6%

The instructor creates valid and reliable assessment procedures that mitigate cheating. This ensures the course is fair, is respected by students, provides a useful evaluation of learning outcomes for accrediting bodies, and maintains the integrity of the degree program and the university.

8. Build a learning scaffold of activities that require the use of course content.

Total importance: 80.0%
Instructor importance: 84.7%
Student importance: 74.1%>

The instructor develops an integrated set of relevant tasks in which assignments build on each other and students must draw on course content to complete them. In this way, students move beyond rote learning, which is at a lower level of learning on Bloom’s taxonomy, and enter into enduring learning, which is at a higher level on the taxonomy. They also acquire skills they will use in their professional pursuits.

9. Facilitate an engaging collaborative learning community.

Total importance: 78.7%
Instructor importance: 77.2%
Student importance: 80.7%

The instructor creates activities in which students collaborate and engage with each other on a deep and reflective level. This healthy learning community experience encourages peer-to-peer support, reduces confusion, and increases student commitment for all aspects of the course.

10. Frame the learning outcomes in ways that are meaningful.

Total importance: 66.2%
Instructor importance: 63.9%
Student importance: 68.9%>

The instructor explains how the learning outcomes connect to all elements of the course, as well as to students’ professional and personal aims. When students understand the “why” behind the entire course and its specific components, they are inspired to do their best work and bring their best selves.

Assigning Priorities

We determined the importance of the various practices by holding discussions with focus groups and analyzing open-ended questions on the survey. These methods also enabled us to identify specific activities within each priority that instructors can implement to improve their online teaching.

Priority A: Ensure clear communication, content, and feedback. One theme runs through the three most critical core practices: Let students know what is happening, how to get started, what content to focus on, and how they are doing in terms of their grades. Students want faculty to eliminate clutter, confusing information, and extraneous material while organizing content in a way that makes resources efficient, effective, and reliable.

It’s interesting to note that more students than faculty say it is “very important” for instructors to provide timely feedback and create accessible content. This indicates that instructors who improve in these areas have an opportunity to make a deeply positive impact on student learning.

To meet student expectations in these areas, faculty can take three steps:

  • Provide feedback on all assessments within one week of the due date. Use the learning management system’s rubrics for scoring assignments and giving customized feedback.
  • Send a weekly update to the class via a central communication medium such as the announcements feature in the LMS. Follow that up with reminders that offer tips and encouragement.
  • Curate a concise set of relevant and accessible resources, supported by recorded lectures and instructional videos, to demonstrate how content connects with assignments and testing.

Priority B: Create a safe, well-organized learning space that includes all students. Students want a course and instructor they can respect, while the instructor wants students who are committed to the course. Instructors should focus on being present and organized in the classroom, while deploying an LMS that is easy for students to use and navigate. They should use technology to send students reminders of due dates, so they can coordinate assignments quickly and efficiently. Finally, they should be sure that students can find a live person at the other end of their devices—a real teacher who shows care and concern for them.

To achieve these goals, faculty can implement three practices:

  • Publish the course as a soft launch before the start date; include an overview video. After class has started, hold live orientations, followed up with regular office hours.
  • Centralize all due dates and events within the LMS calendar. Require students to use the notifications feature and download the app to their devices.
  • Respond to student questions within 24 hours. Meet with students via video conferencing to address specific questions, perhaps by using the online calendar to offer sign-up times in 15-minute increments.

Students want to understand how the course connects to the things that matter in their professoinal and personal lives.

Priority C: Protect the academic honesty and integrity of the course. Students want to know that the class is fair and just, while faculty want to ensure assessments are valid and reliable. But faculty have additional concerns about course integrity: They want to make sure students don’t cheat during tests, and they want to be certain all students are doing their own work.

To address these issues, faculty should work with the IT department and teaching technology experts to verify that the “real” students are taking the tests and submitting assignments. Faculty also can implement three specific actions:

  • Build a test bank in which the questions, responses, and order of questions are different each time. This creates a unique test—and assessment—for each student.
  • Apply plagiarism checker technology like Turnitin or Grammarly. In the assignment instructions, clearly state this technology will be used.
  • Communicate the rules both in video and writing. Let students know how the school is gathering digital evidence of cheating and what the consequences will be for academic dishonesty.

Priority D: Facilitate an engaging and meaningful interactive experience. Students want to understand the purpose of the course and how it connects to the things that matter to them in their professional and personal lives. They also want to know that the instructors are passionate about what they’re teaching.

Why do respondents rate these final practices as important, but less critical than other activities? Perhaps because both instructors and learners are exhibiting subtle resistance to the pedagogical approaches touted as the future of higher education. Perhaps because deep, collaborative learning experiences are time-consuming both for instructors and students. Faculty and students simultaneously want and don’t want to put in the effort to master these deep learning activities.

Nonetheless, faculty can take three steps to implement these practices:

  • Create discussion groups where drafts of assignments are posted. Require students to review and comment on each other’s work, and base part of their grades on interaction.
  • Leverage the LMS’ adaptive release features, which allow instructors to make more content available when students achieve certain milestones. One way to implement adaptive release is to give out iterative assignments that build learning scaffolds; new assignments draw on the competencies that students have just mastered.
  • Give a problem that can’t be solved, requiring students to use resources to get started. Then host a synchronous session using breakout groups to formalize and submit a solution.

Drawing It All Together

Previous research has examined the “richness” of various teaching modalities. (See illustration below.) Currently, asynchronous distance courses have the lowest level of teaching richness, synchronous distance courses have an intermediate level, and in-person classrooms are the richest. Many schools also are offering blended or flex courses that allow some students to attend in person, while others attend via live video conferencing. The model below suggests that, as teaching modalities become richer, students and instructors will exchange more information and participants will interact more meaningfully with others in the class.

 

The Hierarchy of Richness in Teaching Modalities--The ten core practices outlined here can add richness to any level of the teaching hierarchy. In fact, one of our survey respondents commented that this list “doesn’t just apply to online, remote classes. All classes need all ten!”

We think of our ten basic principles as similar to the hierarchy of human basic needs. As humans, we can’t focus on higher-order needs such as social interaction and self-actualization until after we have satisfied basic needs such as oxygen, water, food, and shelter. Likewise, with online learning and teaching, it makes no sense for us to focus on deep learning activities until we have the basic competencies in place.

To reiterate, this means that faculty should start with providing clear feedback, communication, and content. Then they should create safe learning spaces that support diverse styles and foster assessment integrity. Only when those priorities are in place should they focus on practices that promote active learning.

Good teaching practice is a labor of love. Faculty must be in tune with their students and adapt as needed, learning as they go. One survey respondent made the case very clearly, writing, “Care about your students as individuals. Not every student fits into every plan. … Know that in order to reach a student, you may have to modify guidelines. If students are having a hard time … then just send them an e-mail or heaven forbid, pick up the phone and help them. What’s going to happen if you do? They might just succeed.”

By identifying the ten core learning practices, we hope to put faculty on the path to helping every student succeed—especially when they are delivering courses through online learning.

 
This paper was produced with Peter VanderHart, a professor in the Schmidthorst College, in conjunction with the university’s Committee to Advance Teaching and Learning. Distance Learning: The Top 10 Practices | AACSB  

 

Distance Learning: The Top 10 Practices | AACSB 

Three Best Practices—Distance/Online Learning

According to Cady (2020) there are several best practices for distance/online learning:

  • Establish/maintain clear content, communication, and feedback with students—Provide feedback from teachers and student-to-student to motivate students to stay motivated and engaged toward learning and growing
  • Create learning environments/spaces for students to feel safe/secure/included by facilitating a collaborative/welcoming learning community through encouraging peer-to-peer support which reduces confusion and elevates students’ commitment to prosper in the course
  • Develop an integrated relevant set of required tasks for students to accomplish that contain assignments toward moving beyond rote learning (lower level of Bloom’s Taxonomy) to higher levels of create, evaluate, and analyze. 

 

Empowering coaches with data insights

As data-driven decision-makers, we at Teach Tech Tour Coach believe coaches support and model utilization of quantitative and qualitative data to inform professional learning by using best practices in protecting, collecting, and data analyzation, assist educators in data interpretation/use, and partner with teachers to empower students to learn, measure progress, and set goals (ISTE, 4.6.a.-c.).

For example, before using data, teachers need to have a clear understanding of quantitative versus qualitative data (Clark et al., 2020). Clark et al. (2020) state, “Qualitative research designs focus on collecting data that is relational, interpretive, subjective, and inductive; whereas a typical quantitative study collects data that are deductive, statistical, and objective” (para. 12). Qualitative data usually accesses data through language utilizing small participant numbers while quantitative data usually accesses data through large participant numbers for validity (Clark et al., 2020). Mixed research studies utilize both quantitative and qualitative data (Clark et al., 2020).

Three reasons why it is important to use qualitative and quantitative data together in instructional decision making include the following:

  1. Teachers can utilize qualitative (i.e., detailed/descriptive view) and quantitative (i.e., surveys/broader view) data processes to engage with data which creates greater insights into students and classrooms about how students are/are not mastering the learning objectives. Using both approaches, instructional coaches can assist teachers to access data and interpret findings to determine whether students are mastering the learning objectives. If not, then coaches can help teachers use the data to create an environment for more effective mastery and next steps toward academic progress/mastery (Bjorklund, 2024; Clark et al., 2020; Hardman, 2024)
  2. Teachers can utilize quantitative and qualitative data together to enable greater validity (i.e., generalizable and trustworthy measurement) in interpretation/use of findings. When coaches and teachers consider qualitative findings and quantitative findings in specific teaching/learning scenarios, differences and similarities indicate that adjustments need to be made for students to succeed. Differences/similarities may or may not indicate the need for changes in teaching/learning strategies. Further investigation is necessary.  
  3. Teachers can utilize qualitative and quantitative data combined in that qualitative findings can provide the context of the learning scenario (i.e., the why) and quantitative findings (i.e., the what) provide numerical evidence and depth to understanding the results of the learning scenario (Bjorklund, 2024; Hardman, 2024). Coaches/teachers can combine the why and the what to determine what they need to do next to help students accomplish their goals.

References

Bjorklund, E. (2024). 5 Reasons to combine qualitative and quantitative research. Questback.com.  5 Reasons To Combine Qualitative And Quantitative Research | Questback 

 Clark, J. S., Porath, S., Thiele, J., & Jobe, M. (2020). Action research. New Prairie Press. Collecting Data in Your Classroom – Action Research

Hardman, T. (2024). 4 Instructional coaching principles to follow when helping teachers use data. NWEA.org. 4 instructional coaching principles to follow when helping teachers use data - Teach. Learn. Grow. 

 

Overcoming data challenges

We understand that coaches and educators sometimes distrust research findings due to concerns about funding or behind-the-scenes influences. Teach Tech Tour Coach provides hundreds of evidence-based research studies on various topics, offering you annotated bibliography resources and information, so you don't have to spend hours scrutinizing data. We empower you with the knowledge to determine the most efficacious technology use with confidence.

 

 

Progress Monitoring Essay 

More administrators, educators, parents, and other stakeholders are recognizing the importance of progress monitoring in education. This paper examines what progress monitoring is and why it is important, the role of qualitative and quantitative data in progress monitoring (i.e., why both are necessary in effectively monitoring student progress), how utilizing data from many different sources can be organized into a single tool that allows teachers to see a holistic snapshot of both group/individual student progress over time, how engaging students in the assessment process using digital tools happens through developing their capacity to set goals and communicate their own progress and learning, how the safe, ethical use of data supports the application of the Christian worldview perspective (i.e., decision-making in the context of discipline and vocation), and a description of three common ethical and security considerations associated with student progress monitoring and data storage, aggregation, and evaluation (i.e., specific strategies to be employed to ensure data is used safely/ethically) (TEC-536 Progress Monitoring Essay Rubric, 2025).   

Progress Monitoring

Educators seeking ways to increase academic achievement/success quickly discover how and why progress monitoring is important. Progress monitoring of students is valuable in that the process of assessment is ongoing as students’ academic performance is monitored/determined according to their achievement levels and reveals areas in need of improvement (Editorial Team, 2024). Progress monitoring involves collecting/analyzing student progress data which enables educators to make knowledgeable/informed decisions about students’ instruction (i.e., differentiation) and often identifies academic difficulties through detecting the early warning signs of lack of student progress (i.e., meets individual needs) (Editorial Team, 2024). The awareness gained from proactive progress monitoring provides invaluable insights into students’ academic learning, assists in identifying areas of improvement, and allows for the development of timely interventions so students receive support to keep them from falling behind (Editorial Team, 2024). Progress monitoring corresponds to evidence-based decisions, enhances student engagement/motivation, and promotes/nurtures a mindset toward students’ continual growth (Editorial Team, 2024).

To understand the core importance and concept of progress monitoring, a clear definition is needed (Editorial Team, 2024). The Editorial Team (2024) states, “Progress monitoring refers to the ongoing assessment of a student’s academic performance to determine their level of achievement and identify areas for improvement. It involves collecting and analyzing data on student progress, such as test scores, homework completion rates, and classroom observations, to track their learning over time” (para. 7). Without progress monitoring, educators cannot know if students are falling behind academically or progressing toward academic achievement goals.

Qualitative and Quantitative Data

Examining qualitative and quantitative data in progress monitoring is essential to effectively fostering student progress. As noted above, progress monitoring requires educators to collect and analyze student progress data (i.e., rates of homework completion, test scores, and observations of students in the classroom as ways to track students’ academic success over time.   

Before using data, teachers need to have a clear understanding of quantitative versus qualitative data (Clark et al., 2020). Clark et al. (2020) state, “Qualitative research designs focus on collecting data that is relational, interpretive, subjective, and inductive; whereas a typical quantitative study collects data that are deductive, statistical, and objective” (para. 12). Qualitative data usually accesses data through language utilizing small participant numbers while quantitative data usually accesses data through large participant numbers for validity (Clark et al., 2020). Mixed research studies utilize both quantitative and qualitative data (Clark et al., 2020).

  1. Three reasons why it is important to use qualitative and quantitative data together in instructional decision making include the following (Bjorklund, 2024; Clark et al., 2020; Hardman, 2024):
  2. Teachers can utilize qualitative (i.e., detailed/descriptive view) and quantitative (i.e., surveys/broader view) data processes to engage with data which creates greater insights into students and classrooms about how students are/are not mastering the learning objectives. Using both approaches, instructional coaches can assist teachers to access data and interpret findings to determine whether students are mastering the learning objectives. If not, then coaches can help teachers use the data to create an environment for more effective mastery and next steps toward academic progress/mastery.
  3. Teachers can utilize quantitative and qualitative data together to enable greater validity (i.e., generalizable and trustworthy measurement) in interpretation/use of findings. When coaches and teachers consider qualitative findings and quantitative findings in specific teaching/learning scenarios, differences and similarities indicate that adjustments need to be made for students to succeed. Differences/similarities may or may not indicate the need for changes in teaching/learning strategies. Further investigation is necessary.  
  4. Teachers can utilize qualitative and quantitative data combined in that qualitative findings can provide the context of the learning scenario (i.e., the why) and quantitative findings (i.e., the what) provide numerical evidence and depth to understanding the results in the learning scenario. Coaches/teachers can combine the why and the what to determine what they need to do next to help students accomplish their academic goals. 

Organizing Data

The importance of educators being able to organize data from different sources into a single tool to observe a holistic snapshot of both group/individual student progress over time should not be underestimated. Lynch (2019) reveals several steps in data collection including determining what is to be learned from the data (i.e., standards) so that teachers identify what students are to know, do, and the larger/different skills involved. A preassessment comes next to identify the final/summative assessment and some possible formative assessments to measure the standard (Lynch, 2019). Teachers should share the work by working with grade level partners that will provide large amounts of data regarding students’ progress (Lynch, 2019). The instruction/assessment practice means teachers do not teach to the test, but they do model how students will demonstrate their learning/new knowledge (i.e., standards-aligned instruction) (Lynch, 2019). Data review/collection should involve students in that teachers and students can use templates, Excel sheets, etc. to follow standards-based progress. Students need ways to keep track of their goal progress.  Teachers, students, and classrooms can celebrate when the data reveals they are doing well (Lynch, 2019). Teachers can use data for instructional purposes to teach more precisely toward improvement (Lynch, 2019). Placing students on similar learning levels in small instructional groups encourages them to work together and progress well through formative and summative assessments (Lynch, 2019). Teachers can use data to identify students’ learning levels individually (i.e., gifted and talented/special needs) and as a group toward additional instruction (i.e., Bloom’s Taxonomy) (Amin & Mirza, 2020; Barari et all, 2020; Lynch, 2019).

The use of data collection can lead to greater academic success for students and assistance for teachers in the classroom. Recording student performance data allows teachers to track students’ progress in a timely way, to identify students’ weaknesses/strengths, to support individualized learning, to facilitate parent-teacher collaboration/communication and to improve educational outcomes (i.e., data driven decisions/better learning outcomes). Using digital tools allows teachers to create/access centralized data, real-time updates, collaboration (i.e., teachers, students, and parents), and quantitative data analysis (i.e., built-in analytics to look for trends in performance/teachers make informed decisions (Teachers Institute, 2024). Students’ self-assessments/reflections and portfolios are important qualitative assessments that are holistic evaluations that can showcase improvements (Teachers Institute, 2024). Rubrics are important in providing transparency, consistency, and actional feedback (Teachers Institute, 2024). Utilizing  student performance measures using summative/formative and quantitative/qualitative assessments (STAAR scores, portfolios, quizzes, and tests), teachers can accurately communicate data ramifications to parents/guardians/others to help students improve (Teachers Institute, 2024).

Some school districts, including the school district where the writer lives, utilize Northwest Evaluation Association Measure of Academic Performance (NWEA MAP, 2025) which is a computer-adaptive academic growth assessment. NWEA MAP (2025) screens all students with an accurate and effective universal screener (i.e., MTSS), places each student precisely in a program that maximizes growth, drives instruction with data-driven/strategic decisions to help every student access grade-level content, measures academic growth through time with RIT scales (grade-level independent), evaluates efficacy/efficiency with detail reports from the district level down to the student level, and predicts performance on upcoming ACT, SAT, and state tests. The profile reports from NWEA MAP (2025) are straightforward, relatively easy to understand, and most stakeholders can find/act on insights (i.e., teachers receive accurate information to create effective small groups of learners) at the district, school, class, and student levels.  

Engaging Students in the Assessment Process

Educators can engage students in the assessment process via means of digital tools through developing their capacity to set goals and communicate their own progress and learning. The Editorial Team (2024) offers five important benefits of progress monitoring (PM) and technology tools:

  1. Individualized Instruction—Teachers use PM to help students identify specific areas where they are struggling, so both teachers and students work together to tailor instruction to meet students’ needs (i.e., analyzation of data/progress monitoring assessments) through targeted interventions.
  1. Goal Setting—Teachers and students use PM to set concise/clear goals to track progress toward goal attainment (i.e., Students must take ownership for their learning and become motivated to achieve their goals/keeping track of their assessment results)
  2. Early Intervention—Teachers use PM to regularly monitor student progress so they can quickly identify learning difficulties/gaps and provide appropriate interventions, so students have the essential environment they need to succeed (i.e., adjust goals).
  3. Feedback/Reflection—PM offers feedback that is ongoing for both teachers and students as teachers reflect upon their instructional practices toward possible adjustments, and students have a chance to reflect on their learning and perhaps setting new goals.
  4. Parents’ and Teachers’ Collaboration—PM data analyzation can be shared with students’ parents to foster collaboration and open communication between school and home. This is important as parents, students, and teachers must stay actively involved in supporting students’ education.

Christian Worldview Perspective

Educators who are Christians should understand/apply their beliefs related to how the safe, ethical use of data supports the application of the Christian worldview perspective (i.e., decision-making in the context of discipline and vocation). According to Grand Canyon University’s (n.d.), “Statement on the Integration of Faith and Work,” the Christian worldview purports hope for restoration of all human beings, requires honoring God through serving others to promote their flourishing, compels showing justice, compassion, and concern for the good of all, demands working to glorify God in meeting the needs of others, necessitates working toward restoration of broken lives using talents, gifts, and resources to transform others through the gospel’s power, entails meeting others’ needs that stem from oppression, poverty, and injustice, expects sharing the gospel and shaping society according to godly principles, and compels striving for the good of others through education. In utilizing technology tools, Christians need to be careful to honor others by creating/utilizing systems that foster safe and ethical use of data. Educators need to protect students’ privacy including personal data, assessment data, social emotional data, and any other information collected in the process of educating students. Teachers should not collect unnecessary data for the sake of collecting data (Marshall, 2015).

Ethical and Security Considerations

Common ethical and security considerations associated with student progress monitoring and data storage, aggregation, and evaluation (i.e., specific strategies to be employed to ensure data is used safely/ethically). Privacy in general begins with school districts being purposeful in making/revising appropriate school board and district policies, contracting/funding, professional development of teachers, and transparency about purchases of software (Marshall, 2015). Then, stakeholders need to ask about the purpose of the data collection, the online services the district is using for education, how schools are protecting student data, how data is protected, used, and shared, and who the point of contact for voicing concerns/privacy issues is currently (Marshall, 2015). Also, school districts must get parental consent before collecting data so that parents know how data may be collected and what the data will be utilized for (Marshall, 2015). School districts should provide blocks to keep students from viewing inappropriate content either purposely or by accident (Marshall, 2015). Districts should purchase software only from companies who sign agreements that they will not sell student information, will not use student data for unauthorized purposes, will support parents access to their students’ information, will provide far-reaching security standards, and will remain transparent about data use and collection (Marshall, 2015). Finally, Marshall states, “Districts also have concerns about remaining compliant with early privacy protection laws such as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) and the lesser known Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA), which requires parental notice and opt-out for collection of data from students in seven sensitive categories and requires notice and opt-out for data collected for advertising purposes” (para. 22).

Conclusion

There are many entities to consider that are related to the significance of progress monitoring in educational systems. Without progress monitoring of students, educational stakeholders (i.e., students, parents, teachers, administrators, superintendents, and community members) will not have the information they need to make good decisions. Utilizing digital tools, qualitative and quantitative student data, and many other sources, educational stakeholders can make good decisions that enable setting goals, communicating learning progress, upholding practices to provide safe/ethical data use from a Christian worldview perspective, and maintaining secure and ethical practices regarding data.   

 

References

Amin, H., & Mirza, M. S. (2020). Comparative study of knowledge and use of Bloom's digital taxonomy by teachers and students in virtual and conventional universities. Asian Association of Open Universities Journal, 15(2), 223-238.

Barari, N., RezaeiZadeh, M., Khorasani, A., & Alami, F. (2020). Designing and validating educational standards for E-teaching in virtual learning environments (VLEs), based on revised Bloom’s taxonomy. Interactive Learning Environments, 30(9), 1640-1652.

Bjorklund, E. (2024). 5 Reasons to combine qualitative and quantitative research. Questback.com.  5 Reasons To Combine Qualitative And Quantitative Research | Questback 

 Clark, J. S., Porath, S., Thiele, J., & Jobe, M. (2020). Action research. New Prairie Press. Collecting Data in Your Classroom – Action Research

Editorial Team. (2024). A comprehensive guide: What is progress monitoring in education? Steps4Kids.com. A Comprehensive Guide: What Is Progress Monitoring in Education?

Grand Canyon University. (n.d.). Statement on the integration of faith and work. One Foundation, Grand Canyon University.  intergration-work-faith.pdf

Hardman, T. (2024). 4 Instructional coaching principles to follow when helping teachers use data. NWEA.org. 4 instructional coaching principles to follow when helping teachers use data - Teach. Learn. Grow.

Lynch, M. (2019). The ultimate guide to data collection in the classroom. theedadvocate.org.  The Ultimate Guide to Data Collection in the Classroom - The Edvocate  

Marshall, G. (2015). Safeguarding student data: When students are connected, they must be protected. Iste.org. ISTE | Safeguarding student data: When students are connected, they must be protected

Northwest Evaluation Association Measure of Academic Performance (NWEA MAP, 2025). NWEA.ORG. MAP Growth - NWEA

 

Teachers Institute. (2024). Assessment for learning: Effective strategies for recording and reporting student performance. Teachers.institute. Effective Strategies for Recording and Reporting Student Performance • Teachers Institute

 TEC-536. Topic 4. (2025). TEC-536 Progress Monitoring Essay Rubric. Grand Canyon University. TEC-536 Progress Monitoring Essay Rubric, 2025).   

 

    

 

 

 

Best Practices for Appropriate Use of Technology link from the Kentucky Office of Education & Technology

BEST PRACTICES FOR APPROPRIATE USE OF TECHNOLOGY - Kentucky Department of Education

 

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Social Networking & Gamification

Social Networking and Gamification Teacher Web Resource

Social networking and gamification teacher web resources are a significant to students both inside and outside of school environments. Bridging the gap between school and home digital literacies is essential to student learning development. Gaming, social networking, and other virtual settings can result in student engagement increases. This paper offers utilization of a gaming application to create a 10-question game, features game content by presenting three to four social and academic benefits of social networking and gaming in learning, presents ethical implications for utilizing social media and gamification appropriately in the classroom, and offers safe and acceptable student use of classroom games and social media.

10-Question Game

To create games, high school teachers can install Kahoot on students’ Chromebooks. Groups of 4 students sign into the gaming application Kahoot and create a name for their group. Teachers prepare Chromebooks featuring 10 pre-test quiz review questions pertaining to the upcoming unit exam about World War II (or pertinent teaching/learning topic). Students will have 30 seconds to answer each question through group consensus. After groups of students answer the 10 questions, the groups who have the most correct answers will receive five extra/additional points on the upcoming unit exam. Then, teachers create groups with the same students, using WhatsApp so that students can review their questions/answers and other information that may be on the unit test. Students may use notes taken during class, etc. for review purposes, to create additional questions/answers that group members determine may be on the unit test. Students will be given three sessions to study together. There are four groups of students. During the study sessions, each group will create 5 questions/answers to share them with other groups. This will result in 20 new questions to add to the game later. Teachers must actively monitor the group members to ensure students are not accessing inappropriate websites, information, content, or resources through monitoring breakout room conversations and scheduling check-in zoom meetings with students and parents (Maloy et al. 2017).

I created a Kahoot quiz game to test students’ knowledge of WWII, and I created a Kahoot quiz game to test benefits of ethical gaming and pasted link in References section. GCU’s instructions were confusing to me.

Social and Academic Benefits

            In a physical school setting, as well as a virtual school setting, an instructional technology leader should bring an awareness of principles pertaining to the safe and effective use of social networking platforms/tools (i.e., WhatsApp, Twitter, Zoom, Instagram, and Facebook) and gaming applications (i.e., Kahoot!, Quizlet, and Quizizz) as shown in this 10-question game. Research about the pros and cons of gamification continues to unfold regarding the social and academic risks/benefits related to students’ motivation, engagement, attendance improvement, and fruitful participation (Dichev & Dicheva, 2017).

Principles that support gamified instruction toward teaching and learning include empowering students to take responsibility for their learning, assisting students in gamified classrooms to establish persistence, encouraging obligatory self-direction through games, helping students to develop social skills, providing formats for students to build/create self-directed personal/community learning, inspiring risk-taking through the nature of meritocratic/democratic gamified instruction, developing an approach to learning that is playful, and a powerful appreciation for the flow of teaching/learning (Cassie, 2020). Social media continues to be used to create better collaboration and communication (i.e., exchange questions with friends/tutors via Google Drive Box), finding appropriate information through news feeds/websites, discovering inspirational information (i.e., Pinterest and Tumblr), and preparing for quizzes/tests, along with involving parents through social networking (i.e., Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp), encouraging students to read using animations, comments, and books (i.e., interactive venues to foster reading/writing), and providing distance learning chances/opportunities that incorporate participants interactions and collaboration worldwide (Willbold, 2017).

Ethical Implications

Generally, in holding a Christian worldview, one believes that uprightness, morality, decency, ethicality, honesty, integrity, and virtuousness in thought, behavior, attitude, and choices should be evident. In other words, Christians should not have to convince others that they are Christians. Regardless of the issues being considered, I do my best to use this framework for decision-making in my life regardless of issues being considered. Decisions made in my family, church, and surrounding entities are made based on a biblical perspective of protecting the most vulnerable among us. Luke writes in Luke 18:15-17, “Then they also brought infants to Him that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it’” (New King James Version, 1981). Christian adults who are responsible for taking care of children utilizing a biblical perspective have an added responsibility of taking care of children as Jesus did. Christians who utilize God’s Word to make their decisions have a higher standard to meet than the world.

Maloy et al. (2021) state that many researchers have found that student information was gathered/shared involving third-party apps that should not have been shared (Maloy et al., 2021). Maloy et al. (2021) state,  “All in all, more than half of apps appeared to be in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) regulations” (p. 54). Supposedly, the law protects the identifying information of students including address, name, social security number, username, phone number, location data, and IP addresses (Maloy et al., 2021). Coaches and teachers should make themselves aware of whether social media and gaming entities are age-appropriate and meet the ethical, legal, federal, state, and district guidelines for the use of the technology type in the classroom (Maloy et al., 2021). Adults are responsible for the care of children in the classroom, including online resources/sources that could be harmful to students of all ages, but especially those below the age of 13 (Maloy et al., 2021). Many game models/online resources (i.e., freemium) require creating accounts that allow embedded product links/advertisements, that collect data from students, that encourage paying for product services to gain points, and that collect user data which is sold to third-party vendors (Maloy et al., 2021). Responsible teachers providing this game for students need to monitor every aspect of the game in whatever venue they create for students. To do this, specific steps for teachers and parents are listed under Safe and Acceptable Use.

Safe and Acceptable Use

            The game content presents safe and acceptable use for students using social media and gaming applications which requires constant attention, monitoring, observing, scrutinizing, supervision, and oversight (Maloy et al., 2021). Maloy et al. (2021) present seven steps for teachers and parents to take to ensure safe and acceptable use as follows:

  1. Teachers and parents should engage in information conversations with children regarding issues of privacy, apps, and online behavior. In this way, students of all ages will respond positively to honest/authentic talk from respectful adults who provide positive rules/strategies about the safe use of online materials/websites.
  2. Classroom teachers and parents should take advantage of software controls available on most smartphones, computers, and tablets that impose limits on screen time, block specific websites, and monitor children’s online activities. Web browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari include functions that can control the content that children/adolescents can access. Smartphone and computer users should disable the automatic/involuntary installation of apps that emerge from vendors who are third-party by choosing on an item-by-item basis.
  3. Install browsers that are kid-friendly and provide environments that are protected while recognizing individualization is required as students get older and need access to more web content to do school assignments.
  4. Only download apps that are purchased from app stores that are official (Apple Pay and Google Play), since they take action to filter harmful software.
  5. Read ratings/reviews from education groups (i.e., Common Sense Media) and consumer reports to ensure high-quality educational materials.
  6. Buy apps only from trusted web content creators/developers who have developed a good reputation, who provide specific terms of service, who offer FAQs/troubleshooting and disclose privacy policies.
  7. Closely scrutinize privacy policies and terms of service for tools and apps that your students or you sign up for. These documents use legal jargon and unfamiliar terms as they are designed to be confusing to users, but users must take care to know how teacher and student data is collected/used.

Conclusion

Teachers need to ensure that social networking and gamification are learned within a safe and ethically based environment. Parents expect that children will learn to bridge the gap between school and home digital literacies toward benefits such as academic growth and social networking. Teachers and parents have the responsibility of keeping children safe when they access web sources/resources at home and at school whether using computers, smartphones, or other types of electronic devices.

 

 

References

Cassie, J. (2020). 8 principles of gamified learning. TeachThought. 

            https://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/8-principles-of-gamified-learning/

Dichev, C., & Dicheva, D. (2017). Gamifying education: What is known, what is believed and what remains uncertain: A critical review. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 14(1), 1-36. https://educationaltechnologyjournal.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s41239-017-0042-5.pdf

Maloy, R. W., Verock, R. A., Edwards, S. A., & Trust, T (2021). Transforming learning with new technologies. Pearson Education. ISBN-13: 9780135773024 

  Willbold, M. (2017). Social media in education: Can they improve the learning?" eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/social-media-in-education-improve-learning

                BENEFITS OF ETHICAL GAMING QUIZ

https://create.kahoot.it/details/7fb633f0-6acd-4148-bf4f-b62d972a8396

Benefits of Gaming - Details - Kahoot! 

 

                 WORLD WAR II QUIZ FOR STUDENTS

GAME PIN

09839509

https://kahoot.it/challenge/09839509?challenge-id=ca489303-c4f3-4825-964f-c0742f04e0bd_1750301478295

Enter nickname - Assignments - Kahoot!

 

 

 

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