ERIC Number: EJ1264856
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0260-2938
EISSN: N/A
Speaking the Unspoken in Learning Analytics: Troubling the Defaults
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, v45 n6 p888-900 2020
Assessment and learning analytics both collect, analyse and use student data, albeit different types of data and to some extent, for various purposes. Based on the data collected and analysed, learning analytics allow for decisions to be made not only with regard to evaluating progress in achieving learning outcomes but also evaluative judgments about the quality of learning. Learning analytics fall in the nexus between assessment "of" and "for" learning. As such it has the potential to deliver value in the form of (1) "understanding" student learning, (2) "analysing" learning behaviour (looking to identify not only factors that may indicate risk of failing, but for opportunities to deepen learning), (3) "predicting" students-at-risk (or identifying where students have specific learning needs), and (4) "prescribing" elements to be included to ensure not only the effectiveness of teaching, but also of learning. Learning analytics have underlying default positions that may not only skew their impact but also impact negatively on students in realising their potential. We examine a selection of default positions and point to how these positions/assumptions may adversely affect students' chances of success, deepening the understanding of learning.
Descriptors: Learning Analytics, Student Evaluation, Educational Objectives, Student Behavior, Instructional Effectiveness, Academic Achievement, Models, Dropout Prevention, Educational Theories, Prediction, Academic Failure, School Holding Power, Stereotypes, Evaluation Problems, Bias
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A