Week 8: Future of Learning Analytics
Week 8: The Future of Learning Analytics
Over the past seven weeks, we have looked at the trends that drive learning analytics, cases and examples, tools and techniques practitioners use, and concerns around privacy. Given how quickly analytics are developing in the education sector, this course is at best an introduction to LA.
This week we'll turn our attention to the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR) - a professional association for LA practitioners and researchers. Since its inception, SoLAR has launched a variety of initiatives to promote LA and increase communication and collaboration between researchers.
One advocacy area of SoLAR centres on openness in analytics (see the concept paper linked in the readings below). In few areas of life would we allow significant decisions to be made on our behalf without knowing the criteria driving those decisions. Can you imagine visiting a doctors office and being given medication without any explanation of why? Or what it's supposed to do? Unfortunately, much of what happens online in recommendations and personalization happens behind a curtain: we don't know how or why we are receiving the content or the recommendations that we encounter. This concern is particularly evident in learning. Algorithms should be transparent so learners know how decisions are being made on their behalf and researchers can test and validate the effectiveness of those algorithms. Institutions should also be able to adjust weighting schemes to reflect their unique cultural context. To meet the needs of learners, faculty, researchers, and universities, openness is important in LA.
Shortly following the Learning Analytics and Knowledge 2011 conference in Banff, Alberta, a small group of attendees initiated a discussion on the needs around analytics in education. It was obvious, based on the number of startups, re-positioning existing vendors, increased consultant offerings, and growing attention to analytics in conference and publications, that LA was gaining traction. Many of these developments, however, were disconcerting. The solutions seemed simplistic and focused on the short term. Learning is a complex social process. Analytics will always fail to capture the breadth of education. LA can provide insight into learner performance, needed support, pedagogical intervention, and learning design needs. However, LA are not a cure-all for what ails education. Too many of the conversations around analytics overstate the potential impact of LA and suggest unrealistic improvements to learner success.
With this backdrop, a group of researchers and academics formed the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR) to promote a research-oriented approach to LA adoption and use.
SoLAR has the following priorities to advance the field of learning analytics globally:
- Foster the highest standards of academic research into learning analytics
- Promote the development of open educational resources in learning analytics
- Raise awareness of learning analytics amongst policy and decision-makers in educational institutions and governments
- Create opportunities for the diverse stakeholders in learning analytics to communicate, collaborate and debate, e.g. academic researchers, product developers, educators, students, institutional administrators, government policy analysts
More information is available here:
http://www.solaresearch.org/about/
Links to an external site.
We are still working on SoLAR’s structure and the role it plays in the broader transition to data and analytics-focused education systems. We invite comments and suggestions on SoLAR from interested persons.
What we want to achieve over the next year:
1. Create governance structure for SoLAR
2. Detail benefits of joining SoLAR (will be presented and discussed at the AGM in Leuven during LAK13)
3. Transition conference to partner model (i.e. SoLAR co-hosting conferences with local organizing committee).
4. Online and ongoing professional opportunities
5. Collaborative research projects (Open Learning Analytics)
6. Micro/regional conferences (SoLAR Flare - regional conferences)
Getting involved:
1. Founding universities - we have partnered with several universities as founders for SoLAR. Founding membership is a commitment on the part of universities to help advance research in LA.
2. Join in discussions: http://www.solaresearch.org/stay-in-touch/
Links to an external site. and the Google Group: join this Google Group
Links to an external site.
3. Attend online events (announced to the Google group listed in #2)
4. Research discussions/forums (SoLAR distributed lab
Links to an external site.)
5. Submit articles to Journal of Learning Analytics
Links to an external site.
Readings
The Filter Bubble: http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles.html Links to an external site.
Open Learning Analytics concept paper Links to an external site. (pdf)
Introduction to Open Analytics Links to an external site.
Pushing the MOOC envelop with LA Links to an external site.
Learning Analytics: Unlocking student data for 21st Century Links to an external site.
Activities
Attend re-scheduled session with Stefan Dietze on Tues, April 2 at 4:30 pm GMT. More information and time zone conversions available here: Live Sessions & Guest Speakers
Participate in Week 8 Discussion Forum
Post Analytics Project to this forum: Submit Analytics Project
Post Concept Map to this forum: Submit Concept Map