Creating Framework for Connecting Learning Analytics with Course Design
Concurrent Session 1
Brief Abstract
In this presentation, we will discuss our journey to create a framework for incorporating learning analytics into our instructional design processes. While our final goal is big, we started small and employed bottom-up approach by identifying a few courses and recruiting interested faculty for the pilot. We will share what we’ve learned during the first six months of this journey and where we are heading next.
Presenters
Extended Abstract
SUNY Empire State College is the number one provider of online education within the SUNY System. We offer our diverse students a variety of programs while embracing faculty with multiple modes of teaching. ESC has a dedicated team of instructional designers and educational technologists that work closely with faculty and course developers to make sure our courses are of high quality and rigor. While we are always making adjustments to our course design processes, such as incorporating agile methods of development, using design thinking to solve complex problems, we started the project of leveraging learning analytics to inform course design so we can continue to innovate and search for better ways to serve our students and help them achieve their goals.
“Learning analytics is defined as the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data about learners and their contexts, for purposes of understanding and optimising learning and the environments in which it occurs” (Siemens, 2011). In other words, learning analytics can inform the design of learning experience to improve its quality.
While the importance and potential of learning analytics in course and curriculum design is obvious since it helps us make well-informed design decisions, there are different approaches to the implementation of these new instructional design processes and considerations. During the presentation, we will review a few models we explored during our research, such as Course360 at Arizona State University and BoSCO at University of Minnesota Rochester, and explain our model and processes. We will also discuss challenges we had to overcome and our high points through this journey.
Our instructional design team chose to go with a bottom-up approach, where we identified a few courses, recruited interested faculty for the pilot, and established good relationships with our decision support office. We have made a lot of interesting discoveries about our LMS, our processes, and our courses. We will share what we’ve learned during the first six months of this journey and where we are heading next. The presentation will be interactive to include discussions with the session participants to learn what they are doing, what they are planning to do, how, and what we can learn from each other.
References:
Siemens, G. (2011, August 5). Learning and Academic Analytics. Retrieved from https://www.learninganalytics.net/uncategorized/learning-and-academic-analytics/