Personal Blogs

Timing: 6 hours

Imagine that your educational institution, or one you know well, has decided to develop a learning analytics programme and, early in the process, intends to run a workshop for stakeholders in order to develop a vision. You have been tasked with organising the one-day workshop that will move this process forward.

•   Decide how many people you would like to attend the workshop, and which groups they should represent. Who definitely needs to be involved at this stage, and who can be involved later? Your decision will depend on the type of institution you have chosen, and on your view of learning analytics. 
Make notes in your learning journal or blog, and discuss your options in the discussion forum or using OU Live.

•   Plan a timetable for the day. Workshops often run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., with an hour for lunch and two half-hour coffee breaks – but there is no need to keep to that format if it does not suit your plans or the local situation. 
You may want to include an introduction to learning analytics, a talk about the importance of a vision, some examples of learning analytics, an expert speaker or two, a chance to share experiences or previous work, an opportunity to brainstorm ideas, a chance to share ideas, and a final discussion. 
Although there is a lot to think about, your final schedule does not need to be more than a page long.
Again, discuss ideas in the discussion forum or within OU Live. Together, you have a great deal of experience of participating in and running workshops, and this is a good opportunity to share that experience.

Finally, use Powerpoint, Keynote or similar software to produce an introductory presentation for the workshop. Focus on why your chosen institution is interested in developing an analytics programme and why participants have been invited to help develop this vision.Make use of resources you have encountered during this block. The SoLAR and LACE websites both contain links to resources and presentations that could help. The LACE YouTube channel contains a series of short videos from learning analytics experts, including some from authors whose work you have read in this block. You might choose to embed one in your presentation.
Share a link to your presentation in the discussion forum, and take the opportunity to view and comment on other people’s presentations.