Supporting the shift to digital with student-centered learning analytics

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Learning Analytics
• Data Science in Education

Background:

• Learning analytics (LA) offers potential for actionable educational insights, especially in digital learning environments.
• LA can address information gaps and support self-regulation for online learners.
• Ethical and responsible adoption of LA requires a student-centered approach, as highlighted by previous research on student perceptions of LA usefulness and privacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the gap in understanding the practical implications of student perceptions for learning analytics tool creation and adoption.
• To propose three critical shifts in learning analytics practice to enhance student acceptance and effectiveness.
• To advocate for a more participatory and student-empowering paradigm in learning analytics.

Main Methods:

• This paper offers a practice-oriented response to existing research on student perceptions of learning analytics.
• It outlines three necessary shifts in learning analytics practice.
• The discussion is based on the implications of student-centered learning analytics.

Main Results:

• Shift 1: Involve students in the co-creation of learning analytics tools designed to support them.
• Shift 2: Develop learning analytics that are contextualized, explainable, and configurable to user needs.
• Shift 3: Empower students' agency by integrating analytic tools into their broader learning processes.

Conclusions:

• Rethinking learning analytics practice is essential for effective and ethical implementation.
• Increased student involvement in the creation, interpretation, and impact of learning analytics is paramount.
• These shifts are vital for fostering a student-centered paradigm in educational technology and learning analytics.