ATS2020 in Zagreb: Learning Analytics @School

Riina presenting EU learning analytics inventory (Picture by Anne Rongas)

During the ATS2020 Meeting in Zagreb we also had a workshop on learning analytics. Riina Vuorikari, researcher and part of the Information Society Unit of the European Commission’s in-house science service JRC-IPTS presented the report on Research Evidence on the Use of Learning Analytics.

Riina underlined, that at the moment learning analytics is supplier-driven. To develop a useful learning analytics application for education, it is necessary to consider also the demand of teachers and learners. Riina presented what kind of learning analytics solutions are applied in education in the EU at the moment.

There is still little evidence about the impact on learning analytics on the learning process. Riina put forward, that it needs actionable data, which is not only descriptive, but also gives suggestions to improve the individual learning pathway. Here I can also mention, that learning analytics have great potential for individualized learning.

The ATS2020 team checked out what kind of data/statistics are available at the moment in Mahara and OneNote/Office365. In the end it is important to enable students to understand their own learning statistics, to reflect on it and use it to be more aware about their learning pathways and how to improve it. This is in the end a part of digital competence. It is not enough that the learning system is taking over all these task of giving meaning to the learning analytics data. The learner needs a critical mind and it’s the teacher’s duty to provide advice and help the students to develop it.

In a group discussion it was agreed that badges could be a way to visualize learning analytics, especially for early learners.