Relating learning analytics to the concerns of educators and students
Wednesday, 14 Aug 2019, 15:22
Visible to anyone in the world
Edited by Tabitha Naisiko, Wednesday, 30 Oct 2019, 14:30
According
to Dyckhoff et al (2013), learning
analytics is understood as the development and exploration of methods and tools
for visual analysis and pattern recognition in educational data to permit
institutions, teachers, and students to iteratively reflect on learning
processes and, thus, call for the optimization of learning designs on the on
hand and aid the improvement of learning on the other. Based on the definition
in comparison with the Teachers questions asked on Table 1 and the learning analytic
goals in Table 4, I observe the following;
-
Learning analytics have
been narrowed to data generation and the learning technologies without
considering the issues behind the data. Among these are: motivations, inspiration
and challenges.
-
Learning analytics have
also been narrowed to students’ performance and the underlying dynamics without
considering the teachers’ role in the performance. What if the teachers’
competences are wanting so, contribute to declines in student performance?
-
Pedagogical assessments
are lacking, there is a need to put them into consideration when making learning
analytics
-
I would add contextual analysis
as a classifier, because society is dynamic and varied, this the risk for those
who make learning analysis to limit learning analytics and its findings to their
situation.
In
conclusion, the definition above is inclusive but much of the effort in learning
analytics has been narrowed to learners and technological data. There is a
need, therefore, to expand learning analytics to designs, pedagogies, teacher’s
competencies, and context.
Relating learning analytics to the concerns of educators and students
According to Dyckhoff et al (2013), learning analytics is understood as the development and exploration of methods and tools for visual analysis and pattern recognition in educational data to permit institutions, teachers, and students to iteratively reflect on learning processes and, thus, call for the optimization of learning designs on the on hand and aid the improvement of learning on the other. Based on the definition in comparison with the Teachers questions asked on Table 1 and the learning analytic goals in Table 4, I observe the following;
- Learning analytics have been narrowed to data generation and the learning technologies without considering the issues behind the data. Among these are: motivations, inspiration and challenges.
- Learning analytics have also been narrowed to students’ performance and the underlying dynamics without considering the teachers’ role in the performance. What if the teachers’ competences are wanting so, contribute to declines in student performance?
- Pedagogical assessments are lacking, there is a need to put them into consideration when making learning analytics
- I would add contextual analysis as a classifier, because society is dynamic and varied, this the risk for those who make learning analysis to limit learning analytics and its findings to their situation.
In conclusion, the definition above is inclusive but much of the effort in learning analytics has been narrowed to learners and technological data. There is a need, therefore, to expand learning analytics to designs, pedagogies, teacher’s competencies, and context.