Open Education 2011: Openness and Learning Analytics

Open Education 2011:Openness and Learning AnalyticsJohn Rinderle @johnrinderleNorman Bier @normanbier

Open Learning InitiativeProduce and improve scientifically-based courses and course materials which enact instruction and support instructorsProvide open access to these courses and materialsDevelop communities of use, research and development that enable evaluation and continuous improvement

Introduction: OutcomesShared understanding of challenges, tensions andpossibilities in learning analytics, around the dimensions of: • Potential of well-used OER in a use-driven design context • Adaptability (Variety)← → Analytics (Coherence) • Analytics Tools and Approach • Data—needs and challengesDescribe community-based analytics plans: • Flexible, long-range planning • Useful, short-term stepsCommit to action • Identify best existing efforts

Driving Feedback Loops

Infinite Points of Light

Infinite ProliferationThe 4 R’sReuseRedistributeReviseRemix

Infinite ProliferationThe 4 R’s NOT:Reuse RecreateRedistributeReviseRemix Add: Evaluate

Proliferation isn’t just OER…Intro to CS @ CMU Statistics @ everywhere Core Statistics Business Statistics Research Statistics Medical Statistics

What drives change in these scenarios?• Data• Intuition• Market demand• Instructor preferences

The problems of variety• Quality is highly variable• Much duplication of effort• Difficult to choose appropriately• Hard to evaluate• Impossible to improve• Hard to scale success up

Effectiveness is hit or miss

EffectivenessWhat is working in openeducation? Why? And howdo you know?

Effectiveness Demonstrably support students in meeting articulated, measurable learning outcomes in a given set of contexts

So why dont we do this now?• Its hard• Its expensive• Individual faculty cant do it alone• It can be threatening to educators• Disparate systems• How do we measure it?We need enabling processes and systems

Driving Feedback Loops

Great, but:What does it mean when we get out of the realm of discussion and into the realm of practice?Learning Analytics What are they? How do we create and use them?

What do we mean by learning analytics?Proxies vs authentic assessment and evaluation

Analytics Definition Data Collection  Reporting  Decision Making  Intervention  Action Collecting the data is not enough. We also need to make sense of if in ways that are actionable.

Types of analytics• Educational/Academic Management analytics• Classroom Management analytics• Learning Outcomes analytics

The problem of data collection1. Agreed upon standards2. Core collection3. Space for exploration

The problem of data collection1. Agreed upon standards2. Core collection3. Space for exploration• Ownership• Privacy• Policy

Ideal world•Common data standards•Analytics-enabled OER•Commonly accepted ownership and privacy approaches•Commitment to measuring effectiveness through assessment

Bring Together What AlreadyWorks1) Data Collection Systems Data Schemas2) Communities of Evidence3) Analysis Tools

Learning Dashboard

DataShop

Evidence Hub

Learning Registry

Communities of Evidence

And build new things1) Data Collection Systems Data Schemas2) Communities of Evidence3) Analysis Tools

Driven by different types of data Metadata Paradata Synthetic Data Contextual Behavioral Interaction Semantic Raw

Share Alike and Share Data

Community Based Approach

A middle ground?Infinite The OneVariety True Course Communities Coalesce

Can we put these together?"Full spectrum" analytics to drive different types of decisionmaking, address different feedback loops

Learning Intelligence Systems

What would we be giving up? This approach forces us to allow our minds to be changed by evidence.

Conclusion: next steps• Innovate• Standardize• Scale

Conclusion: next steps• Innovate • Commitment to Assessment• Standardize and Evaluation• Scale • Community Definition of Analytics-enabled OER • Common approach to data • Shared and private analytics platforms

“Improvement in Post SecondaryEducation will require convertingteaching from a „solo sport‟ to acommunity based research activity.” —Herbert Simon

Questions• Do you believe in this approach to analytics-enabled OER?• Can this better address the pedagogy vs. reuse value curve?

A Virtuous Cycle Educational Technology Data & Practice Theory