scholarly journals What Makes Learning Analytics Research Matter

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Alyssa F. Wise ◽  
Simon Knight ◽  
Xavier Ochoa
Keyword(s):  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Learning Problems ◽  
Intervention Design ◽  
Critical Element ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Basic Assumptions ◽  
Social Mediation ◽  
Values And Beliefs ◽  
Closing The Loop ◽  
Current Systems

The ongoing changes and challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated long-standing inequities in education, leading many to question basic assumptions about how learning can best benefit all students. Thirst for data about learning is at an all-time high, sometimes without commensurate attention to ensuring principles this community has long valued: privacy, transparency, openness, accountability, and fairness. How we navigate this dynamic context is critical for the future of learning analytics. Thinking about the issue through the lens of JLA publications over the last eight years, we highlight the important contributions of “problem-centric” rather than “tool-centric” research. We also value attention (proximal or distal) to the eventual goal of closing the loop, connecting the results of our analyses back to improve the learning from which they were drawn. Finally, we recognize the power of cycles of maturation: using information generated about real-world uses and impacts of a learning analytics tool to guide new iterations of data, analysis, and intervention design. A critical element of context for such work is that the learning problems we identify and choose to work on are never blank slates; they embed societal structures, reflect the influence of past technologies; and have previous enablers, barriers and social mediation acting on them. In that context, we must ask the hard questions: What parts of existing systems is our work challenging? What parts is it reinforcing? Do these effects, intentional or not, align with our values and beliefs? In the end what makes learning analytics matter is our ability to contribute to progress on both immediate and long-standing challenges in learning, not only improving current systems, but also considering alternatives for what is and what could be. This requires including stakeholder voices in tackling important problems of learning with rigorous analytic approaches to promote equitable learning across contexts. This journal provides a central space for the discussion of such issues, acting as a venue for the whole community to share research, practice, data and tools across the learning analytics cycle in pursuit of these goals.

Metody jakościowe w badaniach politologicznych... Wybrane techniki wywiadu i możliwości zastosowania

1970 ◽  
Vol 23 (301) ◽  
pp. 129-145
Author(s):  
Joanna Gajda
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Political Scientist ◽  
Individual Interview ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Basic Information ◽  
Interview Method ◽  
Basic Assumptions ◽  
Interview Techniques ◽  
Political Sciences ◽  
Interviewing Techniques

The article presents the basic assumptions of qualitative research and the possibilities of their application in social (political) sciences. To achieve this goal, is the interview method was chosen. In the first part, basic information about the interview method will be recalled. The idea of research practice based on the story of Halcolm’s ‘master’. In the second part selected individual interview techniques will be analyzed, which, according to the author, may be the most practical for a political scientist, and the summary will present examples of the use of interviewing techniques by researchers from various disciplines in the field of social-political sciences and the possibility of using re-analysis.

scholarly journals Designing in Context: Reaching Beyond Usability in Learning Analytics Dashboard Design

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
June Ahn ◽  
Fabio Campos ◽  
Maria Hays ◽  
Daniela Digiacomo
Keyword(s):  
Visual Analytics ◽  
Learning Analytics ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Design Practice ◽  
Improvement Science ◽  
District Improvement ◽  
Contextual Design ◽  
Science And Research

Researchers and developers of learning analytics (LA) systems are increasingly adopting human-centred design (HCD) approaches, with growing need to understand how to apply design practice in different educational settings. In this paper, we present a design narrative of our experience developing dashboards to support middle school mathematics teachers’ pedagogical practices, in a multi-university, multi-school district, improvement science initiative in the United States. Through documentation of our design experience, we offer ways to adapt common HCD methods — contextual design and design tensions — when developing visual analytics systems for educators. We also illuminate how adopting these design methods within the context of improvement science and research–practice partnerships fundamentally influences the design choices we make and the focal questions we undertake. The results of this design process flow naturally from the appropriation and repurposing of tools by district partners and directly inform improvement goals.

scholarly journals Time for Change: Why Learning Analytics Needs Temporal Analysis

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Knight ◽  
Alyssa Friend Wise ◽  
Bodong Chen
Keyword(s):  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Temporal Analysis ◽  
Temporal Data ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Applied Learning ◽  
Privileged Access ◽  
Learning Research ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Temporal Learning

Learning is a process that occurs over time: We build understanding, change perspectives, and develop skills over the course of extended experiences. As a field, learning analytics aims to generate understanding of, and support for, such processes of learning. Indeed, a core characteristic of learning analytics is the generation of high-resolution temporal data about various types of actions. Thus, we might expect study of the temporal nature of learning to be central in learning analytics research and applications. However, temporality has typically been underexplored in both basic and applied learning research. As Reimann (2009) notes, although “researchers have privileged access to process data, the theoretical constructs and methods employed in research practice frequently neglect to make full use of information relating to time and order” (p. 239). Typical approaches to analysis often aggregate across data due to a collection of conceptual, methodological, and operational challenges. As described below, insightful temporal analysis requires (1) conceptualising the temporal nature of learning constructs, (2) translating these theoretical propositions into specific methodological approaches for the capture and analysis of temporal data, and (3) practical methods for capturing temporal data features and using analyses to impact learning contexts. There is a pressing need to address these challenges if we are to realize the exciting possibilities for temporal learning analytics.

Foundations of the framework

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gard B. Jenset ◽  
Barbara McGillivray
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Historical Linguistics ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Basic Assumptions ◽  
Linguistic Research ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Theoretical Paradigms

Chapter 2 deals with the foundations of the framework outlined in the book. The basic assumptions of the framework are made explicit, and the chapter continues with three main sections on the major principles of the framework, best practices for conducting research within the framework, and a section on data-driven historical linguistics. The section on principles lays down twelve principles underpinning the framework. These principles are referred to throughout the rest of the book, including the case studies. The aim of these principles is to make historical linguistic research more transparent and reproducible, to facilitate communication across different theoretical paradigms, and to allow researchers to tackle complex problems in a systematic way. The best practices section explains additional methodological points, while the final section discusses the role of corpora in historical linguistics research practice.

Metody jakościowe w badaniach politologicznych... Wybrane techniki wywiadu i możliwości zastosowania

1970 ◽  
Vol 23 (301) ◽  
pp. 129-145
Author(s):  
Joanna Gajda
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Political Scientist ◽  
Individual Interview ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
Basic Information ◽  
Interview Method ◽  
Basic Assumptions ◽  
Interview Techniques ◽  
Political Sciences ◽  
Interviewing Techniques

The article presents the basic assumptions of qualitative research and the possibilities of their application in social (political) sciences. To achieve this goal, is the interview method was chosen. In the first part, basic information about the interview method will be recalled. The idea of research practice based on the story of Halcolm’s ‘master’. In the second part selected individual interview techniques will be analyzed, which, according to the author, may be the most practical for a political scientist, and the summary will present examples of the use of interviewing techniques by researchers from various disciplines in the field of social-political sciences and the possibility of using re-analysis.

Fostering the Literacy of indigenous Elementary School-Age Children

2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Frome Loeb ◽  
Kathy Redbird
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Culturally Sensitive ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Reading Curriculum ◽  
Authentic Materials ◽  
Elementary School Age ◽  
Values And Beliefs

Abstract Purpose: In this article, we describe the existing literacy research with school-age children who are indigenous. The lack of data for this group of children requires speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to use expert opinion from indigenous and non-indigenous people to develop culturally sensitive methods for fostering literacy skills. Method: We describe two available curricula developed by indigenous people that are available, which use authentic materials and embed indigenous stories into the learning environment: The Indian Reading Series and the Northwest Native American Reading Curriculum. We also discuss the importance of using cooperative learning, multisensory instruction, and increased holistic emphasis to create a more culturally sensitive implementation of services. We provide an example of a literacy-based language facilitation that was developed for an indigenous tribe in Kansas. Conclusion: SLPs can provide services to indigenous children that foster literacy skills through storytelling using authentic materials as well as activities and methods that are consistent with the client's values and beliefs.

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