«How do we get there? Steps towards systemic adoption of learning analytics»
Dragan GasevicUniversity of Edinbrough
Abstract
Analysis of data collected from user interactions with educational and information technology has drawn much attention as a promising approach to advancing our understanding of the learning process. This promise fueled the emergence of the field of learning analytics and pushed the education industry toward greater application of data for strategic decision making. This talk will address a question commonly raised by many embarking on learning analytics – How do we start the adoption of systems learning analytics? The talk will first define learning analytics and mention the lessons learned from some well-known case studies. Next, the current state of institutional adoption of learning analytics will be reviewed by examining the evidence presented in various studies conducted around the world. Directions for the adoption of learning analytics will then be outlined, which should enable an institutional transformation of the entire system. The talk will conclude with a summary of the fundamental challenges necessary for learning analytics to have a long-term impact on teaching and learning research and practice. The talk will emphasize that learning analytics cannot be reduced to a simplistic rhetoric of technological quick fixes. Rather, learning analytics advocates a holistic approach that accounts for and supports the complexity related to the specifics of different educational systems and institutions.
Bio
Dragan Gašević is Professor and Chair in Learning Analytics and Informatics at the Moray House School of Education and the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. He is the current president and co-founder of the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR) and has several attached honorary appointments in Australia, Canada, and the US. A computer scientist by training and skills, Dragan considers himself a learning analyst which develops computational methods that can shape next-generation learning technologies and advance our understanding of self-regulated and social learning. Funded by awarding agencies and industry in Canada, Australia, Europe and the US, Dragan is a recipient of several best paper awards at major international conferences in software and learning technology. Committed to developing the international research community, Dragan was pleased to serve as the founding co-chair of the International Conference on Learning Analytics & Knowledge (LAK) in 2011 and 2012 and the Learning Analytics Summer Institute in 2013 and 2014. , and general president of LAK’16. Currently serving as founding editor of the Journal of Learning Analytics, Dragan is a (co-)author of numerous research articles and books and a frequent speaker.
