Learning analytics
Encyclopedia
Learning analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data about learners and their contexts, for purposes of understanding and optimising learning and the environments in which it occurs . A related field is educational data mining
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Learning analytics is the use of intelligent data, learner-produced data, and analysis models to discover information and social connections for predicting and advising people's learning.
and its criticism:
). Some examples of learning analytics software tools:
Educational data mining
Educational Data Mining is an emerging discipline, concerned with developing methods for exploring the unique types of data that come from educational settings, and using those methods to better understand students, and the settings which they learn in. A key area of EDM is mining computer logs of...
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History
Work in progress: sociologists like Wellman and Watts...and mathematicians like Barabasi and Strogatz. The work of these individuals has provided us with a good sense of the patterns that networks exhibit (small world, power laws), the attributes of connections (in early 70's, Granovetter explored connections from a perspective of tie strength and impact on new information), and the social dimensions of networks (for example, geography still matters in a digital networked world).Criticism
An earlier definition discussed by the community:Learning analytics is the use of intelligent data, learner-produced data, and analysis models to discover information and social connections for predicting and advising people's learning.
and its criticism:
- "I somewhat disagree with this definition - it serves well as an introductory concept if we use analytics as a support structure for existing education models. I think learning analytics - at an advanced and integrated implementation - can do away with pre-fab curriculum models". George SiemensGeorge SiemensGeorge Siemens is a theorist on learning in a digitally based society. He is the author of the article and the book - an exploration of the impact of the changed context and characteristics of knowledge....
, 2010. - "In the descriptions of learning analytics we talk about using data to "predict success". I've struggled with that as I pore over our databases. I've come to realize there are different views/levels of success." Mike Sharkey 2010.
Methods
Methods for learning analytics include:- Social network analysis (SNA)Social networkA social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
- "the mapping and measuring of relationships and flows between people, groups, organizations, computers, URLs, and other connected information/knowledge entities. The nodes in the network are the people and groups while the links show relationships or flows between the nodes. SNA provides both a visual and a mathematical analysis of human relationships. Management consultants use this methodology with their business clients and call it Organizational Network Analysis [ONA]."
- Behavioral trust analysis - using instances of conversation and propagation (people communicating and using information to generate new information) as an indicator of trust.
- Influence and passivity measure - assessing the influence of people and information by measuring the number of times it is passed on, cited, or retweeted.
- Content analysisContent analysisContent analysis or textual analysis is a methodology in the social sciences for studying the content of communication. Earl Babbie defines it as "the study of recorded human communications, such as books, websites, paintings and laws."According to Dr...
- Impact of interaction
- PredictionPredictionA prediction or forecast is a statement about the way things will happen in the future, often but not always based on experience or knowledge...
- PersonalizationPersonalizationPersonalization involves using technology to accommodate the differences between individuals. Once confined mainly to the Web, it is increasingly becoming a factor in education, health care Personalization involves using technology to accommodate the differences between individuals. Once confined...
& AdaptationAdaptation (Computer Science)The term “adaptation” in computer science refers to a process, in which an interactive system adapts its behaviour to individual users based on information acquired about its user and its environment.-The need for adaptation:...
- Intervention
- Information visualizationInformation visualizationInformation visualization is the interdisciplinary study of "the visual representation of large-scale collections of non-numerical information, such as files and lines of code in software systems, library and bibliographic databases, networks of relations on the internet, and so forth".- Overview...
, typically in the form of so-called learning dashboards
Software
Much of the software that is currently used for learning analytics duplicates functionality of web analytics software, but applies it to learner interactions with content. Social network analysis tools are commonly used to map social connections and discussions (see Social network analysis softwareSocial network analysis software
Social network analysis software facilitates quantitative or qualitative analysis of social networks, by describing features of a network, either through numerical or visual representation...
). Some examples of learning analytics software tools:
- SNAPP - a learning analytics tool that visualizes the network of interactions resulting from discussion forum posts and replies.
- LOCO-Analyst - a context-aware learning tool for analytics of learning processes taking place in a web-based learning environment
- SAM - a Student Activity Monitor intended for Personal Learning EnvironmentPersonal Learning EnvironmentPersonal Learning Environments are systems that help learners take control of and manage their own learning. This includes providing support for learners to:* set their own learning goals* manage their learning, both content and process...
s
See also
- Text analyticsText analyticsThe term text analytics describes a set of linguistic, statistical, and machine learning techniques that model and structure the information content of textual sources for business intelligence, exploratory data analysis, research, or investigation. The term is roughly synonymous with text mining;...
- Academic analyticsAcademic AnalyticsAcademic analytics is the term for business intelligence used in an academic setting. There is an increasing distinction made between academic analytics and traditional BI because of the unique type of information that university administrators require for decision making.-External links:* in the...
- Pattern recognitionPattern recognitionIn machine learning, pattern recognition is the assignment of some sort of output value to a given input value , according to some specific algorithm. An example of pattern recognition is classification, which attempts to assign each input value to one of a given set of classes...
- Educational data miningEducational data miningEducational Data Mining is an emerging discipline, concerned with developing methods for exploring the unique types of data that come from educational settings, and using those methods to better understand students, and the settings which they learn in. A key area of EDM is mining computer logs of...
- Odds algorithmOdds algorithmThe odds-algorithm is a mathematical method for computing optimalstrategies for a class of problems that belong to the domain of optimal stopping problems. Their solution follows from the odds-strategy, and the importance of the...
- Predictive analyticsPredictive analyticsPredictive analytics encompasses a variety of statistical techniques from modeling, machine learning, data mining and game theory that analyze current and historical facts to make predictions about future events....
External links
- Learning Analytics Google Group with discussions from researchers and individuals interested in the topic.
- 1st International Conference Learning Analytics & Knowledge
- 2nd International Conference Learning Analytics & Knowledge
- Next Gen Learning definition
- Microsoft Education Analytics with information on how to use data to support improved educational outcomes.
- Goldstein, P. J., & Katz, R. N. Academic analytics: The uses of management information and technology in higher education. 2005
- Educational Data mining
- [ftp://public.dhe.ibm.com/common/ssi/ecm/en/gbe03211usen/GBE03211USEN.PDF IBM Business Analytics]
- Campbell, J. & Oblinger, D. Academic analytics. Educause 2007.
- Educause resources on learning analytics
- Norris, D., Baer, L., & Offerman, M. A National Agenda for Action Analytics. National Symposium on Action Analytics 2009.
- Adali, S., et al. Measuring Behavioral Trust in Social Networks. IEEE International Conference 2010.
- Romero, D., et al. Influence and Passivity in Social Media. Social Science Research Network, 2010.
- Graber, C. Behavior Influenced More In Denser Networks. Scientific American, 2010 (Includes audio recording).
- Carmean, C. & Mizzi, P. The Case for Nudge Analytics Educause 2010.
- Jovanović, et al. Using Semantic Web Technologies for the Analysis of Learning Content IEEE Internet Computing, Vol. 11, No. 5, 2007, pp. 45-53
- Ali, L., Hatala, M. Gašević, D., Jovanović, J., A Qualitative Evaluation of Evolution of a Learning Analytics Tool, Computers & Education, Vol. 58, No. 1, 2012, pp. 470-489
- Duval, E. Attention please! Learning analytics for visualization and recommendation, Proceedings of LAK11: 1st International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge, Banff, Canada, 27 February - 1 March 2011