Moving beyond a fashion: likely paths and pitfalls for learning analytics

Moving beyond a fashion: likely paths and pitfalls for learning analytics

This session seeks to identify a range of broader considerations that are necessary to move learning analytics beyond being just the next fashion. It proposes three likely paths Australian universities may take in their adoption of learning analytics. It will argue that at least one of these paths is dominant and that the best outcomes will be achieved when institutions combine all three paths into a contextually appropriate strategy. It will identify a range of pitfalls specific to each path and another set of pitfalls common to all three paths. This is informed by experience from a four year old project exploring learning analytics within an Australian university (Beer, Clark, & Jones, 2010; Beer, Jones, & Clark, 2009; Beer, Jones, & Clarke, 2012), broader experience in e-learning, and insights from the learning analytics, education, management and information systems literature. This work will inform the next round of design-based research that is seeking to explore how and with what impacts academics can be encouraged to use learning analytics to inform individual pedagogical practice.