Data Analytics and Learning Technologies: What’s possible and can it inform practice? Timothy Linsey Hendrik van der Sluis Academic Development Centre Educational Research Forum Friday 15 June 2012 Available at:

Learning and Academic analytics Analytics Analytics is an overarching concept described as data-driven decision making (van Barneveld, Arnold & Campbell, 2012: 6) Learning analytics “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 occur” (LAK, 2011, npn) Academic analytics Analytics marries large data sets, statistical techniques, and predictive modeling. It could be thought of as the practice of mining institutional data to produce “actionable intelligence.” (Campbell, DeBlois & Oblinger, 2007: 42)

Level of analysis Type of analyticsLevel or object of analysisWho benefits? Learning analytics Course-level: monitoring student progress and at risk students, course development Learners, faculty Departmental: predictive modelling, patterns of success/failure Learners, faculty Academic Analytics Institutional: Learner profiles, performance of academics, Administrators, funders Regional: comparisons between systemsFunders, administrators National: benchmarkingNational governments, Educational authorities

Example of tools and available data Type of analyticsData sourcesTools and available data Learning analyticsVLE, StudySpace, (Blackboard) Grade Centre, Course access, Early warning system, Track Number of Views (Activity tables) Academic analyticsVLE, StudySpace, (Blackboard)Activity tables Turnitin (3 rd Party integration) Number of submission (Number of Staff) QMP (3 rd Party integration) Number of Assessment Number of Staff SNS, OneCommunity (ELGG) Google analytics? Postings, comments Blogging, (WordPress) Google analytics? Pages access SITS, student records management system Advanced reporting Combining data sets HRMS, Human Resource Management Systems (PeopleSoft?) Advanced reporting Combining data sets

Challenges and Ethics ChallengesEthics  Sustainability  Orwellian world/big brother  Incompatibility of sources  Data stewardship  Openness  Oversimplification of data interpretation  Focus on administration and monitoring  Does analytics mirrors the real world  Data interpretation

Development and growth of learning technologies at Kingston Growth in institutional supported learning technologies StudySpace (Blackboard upgrades) One Community (ELGG) Blogging (WordPress ) Increase Third Party integrations Turnitin (StudySpace) Blackboard Collaborate Slide Share YouTube Learning Objects (StudySpace) Wimba QuestionMark Perception

Example of early statistics

Snapshot of OneCommunity Postings, comments and files, (Jan- Sep 2010)

Analytics on the Blackboard activity tables Period Relevant PeriodMondaySunday Data set 1_1, Sep-09 Start academic year /09/200925/10/2009 Date set 2_1, Nov-09 Nov-0902/11/200929/11/2009 Date set 3_1, Feb-10 Start 2nd semester /02/201028/02/2010 Date set 1_2, Sep-10 Start academic year /09/201024/10/2010 Date set 2_2, Nov-10 Nov-1001/11/201028/11/2010 Date set 3_2, Feb-11 Start 2nd semester /01/201127/02/2011

Staff use of Blackboard functionalities I Blackboard Activity Tables

Staff use of Blackboard functionalities II Blackboard Activity Tables

Further reading EDUCAUSE. (2010). 7 Things you should know about analytics. Available at: [06/06/2012] Campbell, J. P., & Oblinger, D. G. (2007). Academic Analytics: Educause, available at: [06/06/2012]. Ferguson, R. (2012). The State Of Learning Analytics in 2012: A Review and Future Challenges. Technical Report KMI , Knowledge Media Institute, The Open University, UK, available at: [06/06/2012]. Goldstein, P. J., & Katz, R. N. (2005). Academic Analytics: The Uses of Management Information and Technology in Higher Education. Boulder, Colorado: Educause Center for Applied Research, available from: [06/06/2012] Horizon Report (2011) Horizon Report. Educause, HR2011, available at: [06/06/2012]. Jones, S.J. (2012). Technology Review: The possibilities of learning analytics to improve learner-centred decision-making. Technology review, 18(1),