On June 3, 2021, the webinar on “Data for educational research: types of data, their collection, comparison, methods of analysis” was held on the basis of SSI “The Institute of Educational Analytics” by the Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor Volodymyr Bakhrushin.

In his presentation, Volodymyr Yevhenovych focused on the methodological and organizational principles of conducting analytical research in the field of education. Among the issues addressed at the webinar are several important aspects of data management: 1) requirements for data (reliability, accuracy, relevance, usability, data format, etc.); 2) data collection (organization, special research, inquiries to information managers, official sources, scientific publications, public data, etc.); 3) types and possibilities of data utilization (qualitative, ordinal, quantitative); 4) data structure and its types; 5) data processing (filtering, refinement, smoothing of data; data visualization and presentation of research results); 6) features of descriptive statistics (distribution function, indicators of the distribution center) and 7) other tasks (testing hypotheses, building models, forecasting, finding patterns, monitoring, etc.).

The online workshop reviewed the capabilities of key institutions, sources of information, and existing databases in the field of education in the national and international dimensions, namely:

• Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine
• SSI “Institute of Educational Analytics” (SSI “IOA”)
• Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment (UCEQA)
• Unified State Database on Education (USDE)
• State Statistics Service of Ukraine
• Ministry of Finance of Ukraine
• Official websites of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, central executive bodies
• Official websites of local authorities and educational institutions
• UNESCO Institute for Statistics
• Eurostat (European Statistical Office)
• OECD Statistics (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development)
• World Bank Open Data
• Official and specialized sites of different countries and international organizations, etc.

Regarding educational data that are collected, processed, and stored in the SSI “Institute of Educational Analytics”, it uses local databases and two information systems at the national level: SHC “AICOM“ (software and hardware complex “Automated information complex of educational management”) and AS “IRC” (Automated system of inclusive resource centers).

SHC “AICOM” has a number of applied software products for educators. An example is the application program of free public electronic academic diaries and grade record books in a trial mode. Academic diaries and grade record books are open for use by participants in the educational process in the field of general secondary education. Another application program, in particular, is the module of individual data of students and teachers; possibilities of creating an EMIS module – an information system for education management in the field of vocational (technical) education, as well as relevant AICOM modules for out-of-school and other levels of education are considered. Mobile applications on IOS and Android platforms have been developed and tested within the AS “IRC” (for the convenience of users, they are uploaded to the Play Market and App Store), and 638 inclusive resource centers have been created.

In addition, SSI “Institute of Educational Analytics” provides information for the Open Data Portal on the state of development of the education system of Ukraine on the principles of Open Data, as well as administers several software and technology complexes (STC) and local small databases in these STC, including:

• STC “Numbers of admission of students and graduation of specialists by higher education institutions”
• STC “Proposals for maximum numbers and qualification minimums for the state order”
• STC “Criteria of the competitive state order for the training of masters (on the basis of a bachelor’s degree) and bachelors (based on EQL of the junior specialist)”
• STC to process sectoral financial and accounting reports of educational and scientific institutions
• STC to process sectoral statistical information on the activities of general secondary and out-of-school education institutions (oblast level)
• STC for processing information on the competition for civil service positions in the Ministry of Education and Science
• STC “Training of scientific and scientific-pedagogical staff through postgraduate and doctoral studies”
• AS “Legal Entities” (the SPFU).

At the end of the event, there was a joint discussion, during which the results of the workshop were summarized and the topics of the future meetings were outlined.