http://www.laceproject.eu/blog/learning-analytics-making-learning-better-dutch-perspective/
Describe the Instructional Technology Trend
Learning analytics is the term for measurement, collection, analysis, and reporting of data. This practice helps us understand our students’ learning and their environment and is used to assess progress, predict performance, identify issues, and make decisions at the individual, classroom, and institutional level. While there are many nuances in terms of terminology related to Learning Analytics and education, generally, the above definition describes the “big picture” of how learning analytics is used in education. The benefits of learning analytics speak for themselves in regards to the importance of this trend:
- Predicting student performance - this can then be utilized in teacher instructional decisions, for example grouping students by ability or pairing students with opposing strengths and weaknesses to allow for peer teaching
- Informing teacher decisions regarding when specific students are ready to move on and students who are falling behind
- Predicting student performance and grades and the appropriate level of intervention to improve student outcomes
- Identifying students who are at risk of failing our courses
- Making specific recommendations to students related to course material (i.e. what to review, where their strengths and weaknesses are in course content or skill practice, etc.)
- Provide students information on their progress and more individualized attention for personal improvement
- Ensure that all students are engaging with the content (which is not always possible in a face-to-face classroom setting)
- More informed decision-making on an institutional level in terms of which courses are taught and how. - More informed decision-making on an institutional level in terms of funding for specific programs (based on success) and teacher evaluation (based on student growth and performance).
- Starting point for discussion as an institution on group strengths and weaknesses
Learning analytics is an excellent addition to modern education, as it allows us to more closely monitor our students’ performance and prepare more individualized instruction for them. For example, if a teacher is consistently seeing failing grades on math tests from a specific student, that teacher can look at the data provided in the students’ practice programs (i.e. study island, Canvas LMS data, etc) to see how much time the student is spending on the program, how often they are using the program, when they are logging on, etc. The ability to access this data allows for the teacher to recommend specific and individualized feedback to the student and suggest changes in at home practice to facilitate better understanding of the material and therefore improved performance on assessments.
As an instructional technologist, what do you need to do to keep up with this trend?
As an instructional technologist, I must be aware of developments in data collection and analysis both in programs that my teachers use and those they might not be aware of. For example, if our school LMS introduces a new feature that automates analysis a teacher is currently doing “by hand,” I need to be aware both of the new feature and of the teachers who are analyzing this data themselves so that I can help them transition to using the automated data. Additionally, if my school is using a program for student assessment, and a comparable program is introduced that includes learning analytics capabilities (automated data collection & analysis), I would need to research the new resource to be able to present to my administration the advantages and disadvantages of our existing program versus the new program.
Provide three resources (an article, web url and a video) that provide more information on this trend and explain why these resources stood out to you.
Article: “Can Data Analytics Make Teachers Better Educators" reiterates many advantages of learning analytics, discussing how much time teachers spend collecting and analyzing data and then trying to apply it to their teaching. The article promotes a platform called “Waggle,” which I have never used. There are many programs, applications, and LMSs out there that collect and analyze data, so teachers don’t need to use the specific program mentioned in this article, but if we can apply the principles discussed here, teachers can spend less time analyzing data and more time using the information they receive from their learning analytics resource to personalize learning for their students.
Web URL: AppCrawlr has an excellent application search feature with filters allowing you to see options for exactly what you need. I searched for iOS apps, data collection, and free, and the first two applications would both be great for educational settings. The first is Class DoJo, which gamifies classroom behavior management. I have used Class DoJo, and my students really responded to the sound effects feature (there is a noise that corresponds to earning points or losing points based on positive and negative classroom behaviors). Class DoJo allows you to enter your class, track their daily behavior, and even allows their parents to check to see how they are behaving in class. The second app featured is called Articulation Station, and it appears to be geared towards Speech/Language Pathology. I have not used this app, but the description on AppCrawlr shows photos of the data reports attached to student profiles, allowing teachers/therapists to see specific data on student performance.
Video: This video is from Digifest16, and includes a great summary of the strengths of learning analytics today and what it can provide us in the future. A very important point is raising by the first speaker: learning analytics lets us know what works for which students. We produce lots of resources, but do we really know HOW students receive them or react to them? Are our resources effective or not? Learning analytics can help us answer these questions.
Design one activity using this trend that can be applied for teaching and learning.
For this topic, I’ve chosen Socrative Teacher as my sample activity. You can create a free account on Socrative and create quizzes through the site. There are a lot of great features beyond quizzes including “Quick Question,” “Space Race” (a team activity), and “Exit Ticket.” When you are giving a quiz, as the teacher you have 3 pacing options to choose from: Student Paced - Immediate Feedback, Student Paced - Student Navigation, and Teacher Paced.
Depending on the circumstances surrounding the quiz, each quiz type has its strengths. If you are reviewing a video you just viewed as a class, I would recommend Teacher Paced. If you are using this for a summative assessment, I would recommend Student Navigation. If you are using this for in class review, I would recommend Immediate Feedback.
As the teacher, you have a “Room” Code that your students use to enter your quiz on their device. Once your students are in the “room,” you will start your quiz. Your screen then becomes a learning analytics/data analysis report. You can see each student and their answer to each question. You can select a question to see how your students are performing, or watch the full class table view to see how your students are doing.
When everyone has finished, you will end the test and select the data report you’d like. As you can see, you have lots of options, from full class full test reports to individual student reports to individual question analysis. This tool gives you a paperless test with immediate grading, data, and analysis and allows you to begin making individualized decisions based on your students’ performance as they are taking their test.
Re-use information that you shared for your main post in the discussion forum
The following Learning Analytics Padlet is a board I created as a class assignment for EIST6120. It could be used as a tool to introduce the advantages of using Learning Analytics in education to teachers in K-12 classrooms or as a discussion forum on the topic among K-12 teachers.
References
- Learning Analytics: Leveraging Education Data. Digital image.Www.OpenColleges.edu.au. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 June 2016.
- Long, Phil, and George Siemens. "Penetrating the Fog: Analytics in Learning & Education." Educause Review (2011): n. pag. Web. 11 June 2016.
- Martin, Florence. "EIST 6120 Learning Analytics." YouTube. YouTube, 29 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 June 2016.
- Siemens, George. "TLT Symposium 2013 Lunch Keynote (edited)." YouTube. PSU TLT, 01 Apr. 2013. Web. 11 June 2016.
- Van Barneveld, Angela, Kimberly E. Arnold, and John P. Campbell. "Analytics in Higher Education: Establishing a Common Language." Educause Learning Initiative (2012): n. pag. Web. 11 June 2016.
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