María Jesús Rodríguez-Triana

Perceiving Learning at a Glance: A Systematic Literature Review of Learning Dashboard Research

This paper presents a systematic literature review of the state-of-the-art of research on learning dashboards in the fields of Learning Analytics and Educational Data Mining. Research on learning dashboards aims to identify what data is meaningful to different stakeholders and how data can be presented to support sense-making processes. Learning dashboards are becoming popular due to the increased use of educational technologies, such as Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). The initial search of five main academic databases and GScholar resulted in 346 papers out of which 55 papers were included in the final analysis. Our review distinguishes different kinds of research studies as well as various aspects of learning dashboards and their maturity regarding evaluation. As the research field is still relatively young, most studies are exploratory and proof-of-concept. The review concludes by offering a definition for learning dashboards and by outlining open issues and future lines of work in the area of learning dashboards. There is a need for longitudinal research in authentic settings and studies that systematically compare different dashboard designs.

Understanding learning at a glance: an overview of learning dashboard studies

Research on learning dashboards aims to identify what data is meaningful to different stakeholders in education, and how data can be presented to support sense-making processes. This paper summarizes the main outcomes of a systematic literature review on learning dashboards, in the fields of Learning Analytics and Educational Data Mining. The query was run in five main academic databases and enriched with papers coming from GScholar, resulting in 346 papers out of which 55 were included in the final analysis. Our review distinguishes different kinds of research studies as well as different aspects of learning dashboards and their maturity in terms of evaluation. As the research field is still relatively young, many of the studies are exploratory and proof-of-concept. Among the main open issues and future lines of work in the area of learning dashboards, we identify the need for longitudinal research in authentic settings, as well as studies that systematically compare different dashboard design options.

Integrating orchestration of ubiquitous and pervasive learning environments

Ubiquitous and pervasive computing devices, such as interactive tabletops, whiteboards, tablets and phones, have the potential to enhance the management and awareness of learning activities in important ways. They provide students with natural ways to interact with collaborators, and can help teachers create and manage learning tasks that can be carried out both in the classroom and at a distance. But how can these emerging technologies be successfully integrated into current teaching practice? This paper proposes an approach to integrate, from the technological perspective, collaborative learning activities using these kinds of devices. Our approach is based on the concept of orchestration, which tackles the critical task for teachers to coordinate students learning activities within the constraints of authentic educational settings. Our studies within authentic learning settings enabled us to identify three main elements that are important for ubiquitous and pervasive learning settings. These are i) regulation mechanisms, ii) interconnection with existing web-based learning environments, and iii) awareness tools.

Contextual learning analytics apps to create awareness in blended inquiry learning

Blended inquiry learning relying on online labs to enhance classroom activities is considered as a promising approach to increase the skills and the interest of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. In such a framework where students combine face-to-face interaction with peers or teachers and online interaction with remote or virtual labs, adequate guidance should be provided. Such a task is facilitated if teachers are made aware of the progresses and the difficulties of their students. Learning analytics based on the analysis of the student online interaction traces and their visualization is an adequate mean. A set of contextual learning analytics apps which provide the teacher with learning-specific information is introduced in this paper. A requirement analysis gathered at a summer school with 32 teachers, the design and implementation of three contextual learning analytics apps, the main outcomes from a case study, as well as an outlook on future research avenues are detailed.

Monitoring pattern-based CSCL scripts: a case study

Two strategies have been proposed in CSCL to foster effective collaboration: structuring the learning scenario by means of collaboration scripts and monitoring interactions among participants in order to detect and regulate potential deviations from the initial plan. In order to help teachers in this endeavor, we propose to combine these two approaches by means of a process where design takes into account the especial requirements posed by monitoring, and monitoring is informed by the characteristics of the scripts that must be met to achieve the learning goals. These desired features are obtained from the constraints defined by the collaborative-learning flow patterns on which the scripts are based. The result is an automated and higher-level view about the evolution of the learning process, integrating the data gathered from the different tools. This paper also presents a case study based on an authentic experience in higher education where these ideas were tried out.

Orchestrating Inquiry-Based Learning Spaces: An Analysis of Teacher Needs

The European Go-Lab project offers Inquiry Learning Spaces (ILSs) as open educational resources to support Inquiry-based Learning (IBL). To successfully exploit ILSs and implement IBL, proper support for orchestration is needed. Researchers have highlighted the complexity of orchestrating Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) scenarios and the need for supporting participants in this endeavour. In this paper, we address this issue by analyzing the teacher needs when orchestrating IBL and relying on ILSs. Concretely, we have carried out a survey-based study with 23 expert teachers in IBL and four in-depth case studies in authentic classroom scenarios with 2 teachers. The results lead us to a set of needs to be covered regarding the design of the ILS, the learning process and the learning outcomes.

The teacher in the loop: customizing multimodal learning analytics for blended learning

In blended learning scenarios, evidence needs to be gathered from digital and physical spaces to obtain a more complete view of the teaching and learning processes. However, these scenarios are highly heterogeneous, and the varying data sources available in each particular context can condition the accuracy, relevance, interpretability and actionability of the Learning Analytics (LA) solutions, affecting also the users sense of agency and trust in such solutions. To aid stakeholders in making use of learning analytics, we propose a process to involve teachers in customizing multimodal LA (MMLA) solutions, adapting them to their particular blended learning situation (e.g., identifying relevant data sources and metrics). Since measuring the added value of adopting an LA solution is not straightforward, we also propose a concrete method for doing so. The results obtained from two case studies in authentic, blended computer-supported collaborative learning settings show an improvement in the sensitivity and F1 scores of the customized MMLA solution. Aside from these quantitative improvements, participant teachers reported both an increment in the effort involved, but also increased relevance, understanding and actionability of the results.

Towards an Integrated Model of Teacher Inquiry into Student Learning, Learning Design and Learning Analytics

This poster introduces the first version of an integrated model of three traditions of research in TEL: Teacher Inquiry into Student Learning TISL [1], Learning Design LD [2] and Learning Analytics LA [3]. The integrated model, is based on four existing models: TISL Heart Model [4], Design Inquiry Model [2], Scenario Design Process Model [5], and the Model for Integrating Design and Analytics in Scripting for CSCL MIDAS4CSCL [6]. The result is leading towards a new strand of inquiry, called teacher-led design inquiry of learning.

Learning Analytics for Professional and Workplace Learning: A Literature Review

Despite the ubiquity of learning in the everyday life of most workplaces, the learning analytics community only has paid attention to such settings very recently. One probable reason for this oversight is the fact that learning in the workplace is often informal, hard to grasp and not univocally defined. This paper summarizes the state of the art of Workplace Learning Analytics (WPLA), extracted from a systematic literature review of five academic databases as well as other known sources in the WPLA community. Our analysis of existing proposals discusses particularly on the role of different conceptions of learning and their influence on the LA proposals’ design and technology choices. We end the paper by discussing opportunities for future work in this emergent field.

Examining the Effects of Social Media in Co-located Classrooms: A Case Study Based on SpeakUp

The broad availability of mobile computing devices has prompted the apparition of social media applications that support teaching and learning. However, so far, there is conflicting evidence as to whether the benefits such applications provide in terms of engagement and interaction, outweigh their potential cost as a source of distraction. To help in clarifying these issues, the present paper presents a case study on the impact of using SpeakUp (an app aimed at promoting student participation through anonymous chatrooms) in an authentic face-to-face learning scenario. Concretely, we focus on the connection between SpeakUp and the student engagement, distraction, social interaction, and the influence of the teachers’ style. Our findings highlight that SpeakUp favored students’ engagement and social interaction, but they also point towards its limitations in keeping students communicating about content relevant to the course.