Examining the value of learning analytics for supporting work-integrated learning (original) (raw)

Learning Analytics for Professional and Workplace Learning: A Literature Review

2017

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.

Learning Analytics in Education: Literature Review and Case Examples From Vocational Education

Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 2019

Vocational education and training (VET) remain overlooked in learning analytics (LA) research. This systematic literature review, using four databases and other sources, was carried out by analyzing selected 60 articles (2012-2017) to study the levels and stages of education that the reviewed LA literature examined. The review indicated that most of the analyzed papers focused on the course level, followed by student and institution levels in higher education. Few empirical studies have addressed LA use during the VET stage, particularly at the governmental level. We also considered ethical concerns and recommendations for further LA development in VET. It is suggested to use LA in knowledge transfer and integration between the classroom and workplace.

Work-integrated learning: a powerful connecting tool between classroom and industry

Int.J.Education, Economics and Development, 2020

Academics believe that work integrated learning (WIL) is no longer essential and that it takes up a lot of teaching and learning time. They also believe that teaching time should be extended and that students would seek employment on their own upon completion of their diplomas and degrees. However, we are of the opinion that WIL is vital to the growth and career development of students. We determined the 'students-employer' perceptions on the benefits, expectations and experiences of WIL in higher education. Data that were collected through questionnaires were analysed with the use of statistical tools. We then obtained trends from the findings. We discovered that WIL is beneficial in bridging a gap between the classroom and the industry. Exchange lecturers and guest lecturers from the industry may be a plausible way to supplement WIL. Lecturers need to keep abreast of industry expectations and acclimatise their curriculum as some theories maybe obsolete and detached from practice.

The Benefits and Challenges of Embedding Work Integrated Learning: A Case Study in a University Education Degree Program

Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 2019

Embedded Work Integrated Learning (EWIL) is a specific model of Work Integrated Learning (WIL); students work with industry in small blocks of time at regular intervals throughout semester focussing on reflective learning in authentic work environments. This study highlights benefits and challenges experienced when incorporating EWIL into a university education degree. Data was collected through survey and interview; students and graduates were surveyed and industry partners were interviewed. Reflections from university staff involved in the degree were also included. Results demonstrate EWIL is an effective pedagogical strategy in terms of providing authentic, real world learning experiences and enhancing students' employability skills. Specifically, students' communication skills, organisational abilities and confidence are enriched. Challenges encountered included time constraints, increasing student cohort size and staffing changes. These challenges can be overcome with planning and relationship development. The findings of this study provide insight and guidance for institutions considering implementing EWIL models into comparable university programs.

How do we start? State and Directions of Learning Analytics Adoption

Technical Report of the International Council for Open and Distance Education, 2016

The analysis of data collected from user interactions with educational and information technology has attracted much attention as a promising approach to advancing our understanding of the learning process. This promise motivated the emergence of the field of learning analytics and pushed the education sector towards increased application of data for strategic decision-making. This paper addresses a commonly posed question asked by educators, managers, and administrators embarking on learning analytics in higher education – how do we start institutional learning analytics adoption? The paper first defines learning analytics and touches on lessons learned from some well-known case studies. The paper then reviews the current state of institutional adoption of learning analytics by examining evidence produced in several studies conducted worldwide. The paper next outlines directions for learning analytics adoption that should enable for a system-wide institutional transformation. The paper concludes with a summary of critical challenges that require attention in order for learning analytics to make a long-term impact on research and practice of learning and teaching. The paper emphasizes that learning analytics cannot be reduced to a simplistic rhetoric of quick technological fixes. Rather, learning analytics advocates for holistic approaches that account for and support complexities associated with specific characteristics of different educational systems and institutions.

The challenge of learning analytics implementation: lessons learned

2019

Despite broad interest in learning analytics across the Australian Higher Education sector, there remains few examples of institution-wide implementations. Learning analytics implementation is currently under-theorised with little knowledge of the complexities that mediate the systemic uptake required for an institution-wide implementation. It has been established that approaches to learning analytics that are exclusively top-down or bottom-up, are insufficient for successful implementation across an enterprise. Drawing upon an award-winning and institution-wide learning analytics intervention that has been used across almost 5,000 unit offerings, this paper formulates an initial set of theory informed design principles that can help learning analytics practitioners mediate the complexities of institution-wide implementation.

The Benefits of Learning Analytics to Higher Education Institutions: A Scoping Review

International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 2021

Learning analytics is a form of data analysis that allows teachers, lecturers, educational experts, and administrators of online learnings to look for students’ online traces and information associated with the learning processes. The fundamental goal of learning analytics in online classrooms and com-puter-supported instruction is to enhance the learning experience and the entire learning process. This review aims at reviewing some of the benefits available through using learning analytics in higher education institutions (HEI) for the students, teaching staff and the management. The search for relevant literature was conducted by searching online databases which in-clude Web of Science, SCOPUS, Science Direct, IEEE, Emerald, Springer, ERIC and Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). The analysis of the literatures obtained from the online databases revealed that learning analytics provide series of benefits to students, teaching staffs and the management of higher education ins...

How do we start? An approach to learning analytics adoption in higher education

The International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, 2019

Purpose The analysis of data collected from user interactions with educational and information technology has attracted much attention as a promising approach to advancing our understanding of the learning process. This promise motivated the emergence of the field of learning analytics and supported the education sector in moving toward data-informed strategic decision making. Yet, progress to date in embedding such data-informed processes has been limited. The purpose of this paper is to address a commonly posed question asked by educators, managers, administrators and researchers seeking to implement learning analytics – how do we start institutional adoption of learning analytics? Design/methodology/approach A narrative review is performed to synthesize the existing literature on learning analytics adoption in higher education. The synthesis is based on the established models for the adoption of business analytics and finding two projects performed in Australia and Europe to deve...

Learning Analytics Methods, Benefits, and Challenges in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review Learning Analytics Methods, Benefits, and Challenges in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review

Higher education for the 21st century continues to promote discoveries in the field through learning analytics (LA). The problem is that the rapid embrace of of LA diverts educators' attention from clearly identifying requirements and implications of using LA in higher education. LA is a promising emerging field, yet higher education stakeholders need to become further familiar with issues related to the use of LA in higher education. Few studies have synthesized previous studies to provide an overview of LA issues in higher education. To address the problem, a systemic literature review was conducted to provide an overview of methods, benefits, and challenges of using LA in higher education. The literature review revealed that LA uses various methods including visual data analysis techniques, social network analysis, semantic, and educational data mining including prediction, clustering, relationship mining, discovery with models, and separation of data for human judgment to analyze data. The benefits include targeted course offerings, curriculum development, student learning outcomes, behavior and process, personalized learning, improved instructor performance, post-educational employment opportunities, and enhanced research in the field of education. Challenges include issues related to data tracking, collection, evaluation, analysis; lack of connection to learning sciences; optimizing learning environments, and ethical and privacy issues. Such a comprehensive overview provides an integrative report for faculty, course developers, and administrators about methods, benefits, and challenges of LA so that they may apply LA more effectively to improve teaching and learning in higher education.

Analytics for Everyday Learning from two Perspectives: Knowledge Workers and Teachers

2018

Learning analytics deals with tools and methods for analyzing and detecting patterns in order to support learners while learning in formal as well as informal learning settings. In this work, we present the results of two focus groups in which the effects of a learning resource recommender system and a dashboard based on analytics for everyday learning were discussed from two perspectives: (1) knowledge workers as self-regulated everyday learners (i.e., informal learning) and (2) teachers who serve as instructors for learners (i.e., formal learning). Our findings show that the advantages of analytics for everyday learning are three-fold: (1) it can enhance the motivation to learn, (2) it can make learning easier and broadens the scope of learning, and (3) it helps to organize and to systematize everyday learning.