One Person's Sign of the Education Apocalypse is Another's Dream Come True

This item  by Helen Warrell in the Financial Times points to the increasing role that big data and measurement is playing in (mostly higher) education. Using multivariate inputs, researchers in the U.K. are creating algorithms that identify students who are learning less than expected in their university courses. The experts universally point to the positives; e.g., identifying students at risk and intervening sooner rather than later, guiding students toward courses more appropriate for them, and evaluating the effectiveness of different types of instruction.I see the potential benefits, but can't shake the thought that eventually data of this sort will be used against students, say, to sort and classify, exclude and include, without tolerance for individual differences. The algorithm experts likely won't be the culprits; rather, the problem will emerge when policy-makers in government and gatekeepers to university and professional school admissions start appropriating the metrics to help whack tall stacks of applicants down to size.