Learning Analytics 101

This infographic captures the nature of Learning Analytics in education – what it can do, what it can be used for, limitations and implications for the future.  Useful for sharing with others in discussions about Learning Analytics – even if it generates slightly different perspectives.

An Infographic by Open Colleges

From Andrianes Pinantoan, editor of InformEd

Filed under: Learning & Teaching, Learning Analytics, Learning Analytics

Building Organizational Capacity for Analytics

Donald Norris and Linda Baer have surveyed 40 leading institutions and 20 technology vendors to produce this report published by EDUCAUSE in February 2013. The aim of the project was to ‘determine the state of practice and gaps between needs and solutions in building capacity in analytics to improve student success’.

The survey findings will be used in developing “A Toolkit for Building Organizational Capacity in Analytics” currently being developed by the authors with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The paper provides findings to date. The project is ongoing and further surveys are planned with ongoing updating of information.

Full article: http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/building-organizational-capacity-analytics

Filed under: Learning Analytics

The State of Learning Analytics in 2012

Ferguson, R. (2012). The State Of Learning Analytics in 2012: A Review and Future Challenges. Technical Report KMI-12-01, Knowledge Media Institute, The Open University, UK.

http://kmi.open.ac.uk/publications/techreport/kmi-12-01

This review of the field begins with an examination of the technological, educational and political factors that have driven the development of analytics in educational settings. It goes on to chart the emergence of learning analytics, including their origins in the 20th century, the development of data-driven analytics, the rise of learning-focused perspectives and the influence of national economic concerns. It next focuses on the relationships between learning analytics, educational data mining and academic analytics. Finally, it sets out the current state of learning analytics research, and identifies a series of future challenges.

Filed under: Learning Analytics

SoLAR

SoLAR exists to ensure that there is an expansive, transformative vision for what analytics might mean for the future of learning and to promote a very critical discourse that is non-partisan, and grounded as far as possible in practice-based research. SoLAR is a non-profit organization. Incorporation is currently underway.

SoLAR activities include:

• Overseeing the annual Learning Analytics and Knowledge conference,
• Engage in collaborative research (particularly in the development of Open Learning Analytics Architecture),
• Publications on the state and future of analytics in learning, training, and education
• Consultations with government, educational leaders, and policy makers on analytics deployment and evaluation
• Shared research with vendors and analytics providers

SoLAR defines learning analytics as the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data about learners and their contexts, for purposes of understanding and optimizing learning and the environments in which it occurs. www.solaresearch.org/

Filed under: Learning Analytics