Comment on U.S. Dept. of Ed. Learning/Academic Analytics Report

The U.S. Department of Education has released a request for public input on a new report, Expanding Evidence Approaches for Learning in a Digital World,  addressing how institutions, policymakers, and learning technology developers can advance and capitalize on learning analytics and academic analytics to increase the sucess of individual learners as well as the learning enterprise as a whole. The report doesn't necessarily stress the terms "learning analytics" or "academic analytics" in describing its focus or recommendations, but I believe its concepts fall within the scope of those terms as described by EDUCAUSE President Diana Oblinger in her July/August 2012 EDUCAUSE Review article, "Let's Talk... Analytics":

Analytics is the use of data, statistical and quantitative methods, and explanatory and predictive models to allow organizations and individuals to gain insights into and act on complex issues. In colleges and universities, analytics is used to improve operational efficiency and student success. The term big data is often used interchangeably with analytics, but the scientific community uses big data to describe research that uses massive amounts of data. The use of analytics to improve administrative functions is often called business intelligence; similarly, academic analytics is used to help run the business of the higher education institution. Finally, learning analytics focuses specifically on students and their learning behaviors, gathering data from course management and student information systems in order to improve student success.