CEHD Learning Data

What is Learning Data?

Learning data has varied definitions and equally varied applications. Learning data may be descriptive, diagnostic, predictive or prescriptive in nature as data is tied to specific contexts and questions. For the purposes of our discussions, learning data encompasses use of data to both answer questions about, and to improve, teaching and learning.

Why Would You Use Learning Data?

The ability to understand how teaching affects student learning lies at the crux of an instructor’s work. Using learning data allows instructors to answer questions they might have about their teaching, their course or their students. Moreover, using analytics may allow them to intervene to increase student success. Instructors might use learning data to:

Visualize learning
Visualize patterns in student behaviors
Assess learner behavior
Improve learning resources
Individualize learning
Predict student performance

Questions Learning Data Might Inform

Within Canvas there are various tools that would allow you to answer questions related to teaching and learning. Often certain types of questions might work best with particular data or particular tool types. The following common questions have been mapped to broader tool areas that might provide relevant information.

Types of questions that course focused analytics tools might inform:

How are students participating in the class?
- When are student most engaged with content or each other?
- Does accessing particular activities or resources influence student success in the course?
- What are the signals of a student struggling in a course?
- Are the materials you are providing meeting the intention of your use?
- Is a particular reading more useful to your students in understanding the content being addressed?
- In a large enrollment class, how can an instructor gauge student engagement?

Types of questions that student focused analytics tools might inform:

When, how long or how often has a student accessed different activity types?
- - Does access seem to correspond to a higher grade?
- Are students getting the most possible from content, not just as a whole class, but as an individual?
- Is a student who turns in materials in advance of the due date successful?
How can instructors effectively take action to change the predicted outcome for a student during the semester?
- Does increased communication assist in this change?
- Does remedial homework assist in this change?
- When is the ideal time to intervene?
Do virtual office hours assist students in online classes?
How are students participating in the class?
Does student self-reflection of performance influence their overall success?

Types of questions that the Canvas What If tool might inform:

Does student self-reflection of performance influence their overall success?
How can students effectively take action to change the predicated grade outcome during the semester?
How does grade book transparency affect student success?

What Considerations Are There?

It is important to remember that use of learning data should remain within an ethical realm of use. Aside from FERPA, which continues to govern how identifiable data can be shared, disclosed and used, there are currently no concrete rules regarding use of learning data. Instead, many respected scholars in the field have begun to promote a series of guiding principles for the ethical conduct of learning analytics research.

When looking at using learning data in your course it may be worth asking the following questions:
What do I want to learn from the data I am reviewing?
In what ways might I take action with the data I am reviewing?
How does my data analysis have the ability to impact my students?
Is there an opportunity to include student voice in my review of data?

What Tools Are Available?

The Canvas learning management system provides a series of tools called Analytics that provide instructors with access to teacher, student, course, and program data. The data can be used to inform course design decisions and instruction. Thoughtful consideration of such learning data may allow instructors to modify their course design or teaching practices to impact student success. Canvas Analytics information is directly related to use of learning management features such as use of due dates, discussions, assignments and quizzes, etc. Canvas Analytics data may not directly correlate as a proxy for student engagement. Rather, Canvas Analytics data is presented to allow

instructors to analyze the data within their own context and understanding of their students.

CEHD Learning Data Guide

CEHD has created a Learning Data Guide to assist instructors as they use learning data to answer instructional questions. The guide is designed to provide a practical framework with which instructors can identify questions related to an area of their program, course or teaching practice and structure their coursework to yield interpretable results.