Summary of the initial feedback from the students participating in the Learning Analytics pilot

NOTE: If you are unfamiliar with the details of the Learning Analytics pilot more information can be found on the eLearning team’s blog

As the students have now had access to their Learning Analytics Dashboard for a number of weeks we wanted to start gathering feedback on their experience of using both the ‘How are you Doing?’ widget as well as the Learning Analytics Dashboard. The dashboard displays the following data to the students, and in each case their data is displayed alongside the average of the rest of their cohort:

• Assessment scores in their modules (Grade Centre data)
• The amount of time spent on studentcentral
• Their attendance (using data recorded via the Grade Centre and the classlist widget)
• Their timeline of happiness (this is not compared with any one elses data)

We ran 4 focus groups, one for each of the seminar groups involved and asked them the following questions:

• Did you use the ‘How are you doing widget’?
  What did you think of the ‘How are you doing Widget’? Did knowing someone would follow up encourage or prevent you using it?
• Did the Learning Analytics data tell you anything you didn’t know?
  Did you make any behavior changes as a result of the data? and what were they?
• Did you have any concerns or expectations about the project? and were they realised?
• What suggestions do you have for development? Changes to the display? Additional data that would be useful etc?

Feedback Results

Approx 70 students are involved in the pilot groups, of which 34 participated in the focus groups.

71% of respondents used the ‘how are you doing’ widget

76% felt the data provided information they didn’t already have access to

56% felt the data had a positive affect on their behavior

Most students reported the dashboard provided information that they didn’t already know and a little over half of the students felt the data would influence and change their behavior for the better, ie. if their attendance dropped below average they would attend more, if grades were below average they would attempt to improve their performance. More details of the feedback received from the students can be found here – Learning Analytics Pilot Student Feedback

The next phase of the pilot is to give students access to the student ‘fitness’ analytics app, this is a nation wide pilot managed by JISC.