I got stuck this weekend.
I grasped the concept that Lockyer et al. were communication. The checkpoint vs process comparison is simple but beautifully so. A major criticism of learning analytics, as we have studied to date, is that it necessarily uses the available data (which has not been collected with pedagogical advances in mind) rather than data being collected specifically with analytics in mind, Checkpoint data is the main data we have and shows us the easy to measure metrics - who clicked on the link? When and where? On what device? How long were they logged in to the VLE? How often did they post in the forum? When did they submit their assignment? How good was their assignment? How does any of this correlate with the socio-demographic data we hold about them?
The process data is more difficult to measure being more nuanced and essentially qualitative. Questions which might generate process data could include:
- What was the quality of the forum postings? Did they demonstrate real understanding and engagement with the materials?
- Did the individual make thoughtful comments about other people's work? Did those comments lead to a fruitful discussion about differences in perspective?
- Has the learner managed to apply any of their learning into a new context such as their own workplace? What were the results of this?
- Is there evidence of meaningful collaboration, knowledge sharing, discussion and debate between learners?