Big Data Rules

Yes, as your humble servant here has pointed out several times in emails to members of our class in response to student posts for this assignment, the roots of the professorship are in the medieval guild system.  In it, we had masters (doctorates), journeymen (masters), (bachelors)apprentices.  The masters controlled, set standards for those below them.  They determined what a master-craft shoe was, not bureaucrats in some office.  Now we are in the era of "Big Data" in which "data mining" experts determine what is or is not quality.  This is the trend, a loss of guild, faculty control to faceless evaluators.  It is another updated version of the industrial, factory model; it is gutting traditional professional power to set standards, as in days of old.  The end of this trend is not yet in sight; maybe we will survive it as educational professionals, maybe not.  It is up to us.  Dr. Rux