{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]],"date-time":"2026-07-31T17:48:54Z","timestamp":1785520134663,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,1,1]],"date-time":"2020-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1577836800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Big Data &amp; Society"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Higher education institutions have access to higher volumes and a greater variety and granularity of student data, often in real-time, than ever before. As such, the collection, analysis and use of student data are increasingly crucial in operational and strategic planning, and in delivering appropriate and effective learning experiences to students. Student data \u2013 not only in what data is (not) collected, but also how the data is framed and used \u2013 has material and discursive effects, both permanent and fleeting. We have to critically engage claims that artificial intelligence and the ever expansive\/expanding systems of algorithmic decision-making provide speedy, accessible, revealing, panoramic, prophetic and smart analyses of students' risks, potential and learning needs. We need to pry open the black boxes higher education institutions (and increasingly venture capital and learning management system providers) use to admit, steer, predict and prescribe students\u2019 learning journeys.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/2053951720933994","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,6,22]],"date-time":"2020-06-22T08:07:34Z","timestamp":1592813254000},"page":"205395172093399","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":43,"title":["Of \u2018black boxes\u2019 and algorithmic decision-making in (higher) education \u2013 A commentary"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"7","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1838-540X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paul","family":"Prinsloo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Business Management, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,6,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-2053951720933994","first-page":"219","volume":"46","author":"Allen JA","year":"2019","journal-title":"Fordham Urban Law Journal"},{"key":"bibr3-2053951720933994","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1215\/9780822387534"},{"key":"bibr4-2053951720933994","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467-9558.2009.01352.x"},{"key":"bibr5-2053951720933994","first-page":"143","volume-title":"The Routledge Falmer Reader in Sociology of Education","author":"Ball SJ","year":"2004"},{"key":"bibr6-2053951720933994","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/146954050100100209"},{"key":"bibr7-2053951720933994","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1057\/978-1-137-55649-3"},{"key":"bibr8-2053951720933994","volume-title":"The Data Gaze","author":"Beer D","year":"2019"},{"key":"bibr12-2053951720933994","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.techsoc.2019.101198"},{"key":"bibr14-2053951720933994","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s13347-015-0211-1"},{"key":"bibr18-2053951720933994","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/00091383.2018.1483174"},{"key":"bibr21-2053951720933994","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4324\/9781351044998"},{"key":"bibr22-2053951720933994","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7208\/chicago\/9780226447919.001.0001"},{"key":"bibr26-2053951720933994","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/17439884.2018.1556216"},{"key":"bibr28-2053951720933994","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4135\/9781473909472"},{"key":"bibr30-2053951720933994","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/3105385"},{"key":"bibr34-2053951720933994","volume-title":"New Managerialism in Education: Commercialisation, Carelessness and Gender","author":"Lynch K","year":"2015"},{"key":"bibr108-2053951720933994","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Pasquale F (2015)\n                      The black box society\n                      . 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