RESOURCE: About our Paper – What data and analytics can and do say about effective learning | npj Science of Learning Community
Our article, “What data and analytics can and do say about effective learning”, was published in the journal npj Science of Learning recently. The Nature Research team had a few questions for us about our article, which Linda Corrin and I have answered below.
What is learning analytics, and how does it differ from ‘traditional’ analysis of classroom learning through tests, essays and student–teacher interactions?
Learning analytics refers to the collection, integration and analysis of data across multiple sources (predominantly digital learning environments, student information systems etc.) for the purpose of understanding and enhancing student learning. The scope of learning analytics includes these “traditional” analyses and seeks to find new ways to understand and visualize the outcomes of the analysis. It also builds on these previous forms of analysis in education in that the data can now be derived from multiple sources and integrated to allow more sophisticated statistical analysis. The combined datasets can end up being quite large with many possible indicators of student progress and performance. These data can be used to detect patterns in student learning behaviour and performance beyond what was possible previously.
Written by Brian S McGowan, PhD
Dr. McGowan has served in leadership positions in numerous medical educational organizations and commercial supporters and is a Fellow of the Alliance (FACEhp). He founded the Outcomes Standardization Project, launched and hosted the Alliance Podcast, and most recently launched and hosts the JCEHP Emerging Best Practices in CPD podcast. In 2012 he Co-Founded ArcheMedX, Inc, a healthcare informatics and e-learning company to apply his research in practice.
