Peter Rayment is the Learning Technology Manager at Cardiff University in the UK. He discusses how the university uses analytics, specifically EesyAnalytics, to gain insights into how their learning management system (LMS) is used. Analytics helps the university understand tool usage patterns over time, see the impact of training and engagement activities, and optimize resources. It allows them to identify areas of good and bad practice and share lessons learned. The university has started to more fully understand LMS usage and can now reflect on how to improve based on data-driven insights.

1. Peter Rayment
Learning Technology Manager
Cardiff University UK.

2. ABOUT ME
Peter Rayment
Learning Technology Manager
Cardiff University, UK.
raymentpj@cardiff.ac.uk
I have used Blackboard for 12 years.

3. ABOUT MY INSTITUTION
Cardiff University
Research led, Russell Group University in UK.
We have 25,000 FTE of students
Three colleges made up of 27 Schools

4. ABOUT MY INSTITUTION
Cardiff University
Blackboard client for about 10 years
Currently run:
• Blackboard Learn
• Content Management system
• Community engagement system
• Blackboard Mobile

5. WHAT WE ARE GOING
TO LEARN TODAY
Why would you want to use Analytics
What can analytics tell us,
specifically EesyAnalytics
Why Analytics are our friends…….

6. OUR CHALLENGE
Every year we create a new 6000 Courses
52,819 users accounts via snapshot every day.
147,870 Enrolments on standard Courses
132,235 Enrolments on non standard Courses
Students can stay enrolled for over 7 years.

7. OUR CHALLENGE
What are these users doing inside the system?
• Which tools are being used?
• And which are not…
• Who is using them?
• When are they using them?
• And frequency of tool use.

8. OUR CHALLENGE
We implement tools for learning
We deliver staff development
We write support material
We visit schools & talk to staff
How can we tell if this activity has changed
anything?

9. OUR CHALLENGE
Prioritising activities
• Avoid spending time on low impact areas
Identifying areas of low/high uptake
• And discovering why
Assess whether our activity affects things
• Evidence for senior managers
Building business cases
• For additional tools or resources
• Evidence for deprecating obsolete tools

10. OUR CHALLENGE
To understand LMS use in the past we have:-
• Undertaken Surveys
• Collated information from support calls
• Listen to user requirements
• Undertaken Course audits by year.

11. OUR CHALLENGE

12. Analytics is the discovery and communication
of meaningful patterns in data. Especially
valuable in areas rich with recorded
information, analytics relies on the
simultaneous application of statistics,
computer programming and operations
research to quantify performance. Analytics
often favors data visualization to communicate
insight.
Source Wikipedia

13. Analytics is the discovery and communication
of meaningful patterns in data. Especially
valuable in areas rich with recorded
information, analytics relies on the
simultaneous application of statistics,
computer programming and operations
research to quantify performance. Analytics
often favors data visualization to communicate
insight.
Source Wikipedia

14. ANALYTICS PRODUCTS
BIRT
Bb Tracking and Statistics

15. ANALYTICS PRODUCTS
BIRT
Bb Tracking and Statistics

16. 1) GOOGLE ANALYTICS

17. GOOGLE ANALYTICS

18. GOOGLE ANALYTICS

19. 2) EESYANALYTICS
EesyAnalytics™
understand what
users are doing either
individually or
collectively
EesyMessaging™
In application
communication
- Pro-active
- On Demand of users
EesySoft Building
Block
Real-time monitoring of
what users are doing
within Blackboard

20. EESYANALYTICS
Watch this introduction video:
http://youtu.be/yhabES9CYJU

21. EESYANALYTICS
How it works
Uses monitor points within system which we
set up.
Monitors activity by Role within Blackboard,
We make extensive use of Roles at Cardiff.
Provides real time, and timeline views of users
activity.

22. REPORTS

23. REPORTS

24. OUR RESULTS
EesyAnalytics has allowed us to see:-
Patterns of tools use over time
Changes in behaviour after training
Changes in use after engagement or
awareness raising activities

25. OUR RESULTS
Focus our efforts better
• Training
• Support
• Engagement, promotion
Identify areas of good/bad practice
• And share lessons
• Help academics understand & visualise how their
students use the LMS

26. OUR RESULTS
Still at the beginning of voyage of
discovery
Results of Analytics are very interesting and
present a number of significant possibilities.
We can now start to more fully understand use
of our LMS and with this understanding comes
the ability to reflect and improve.

27. DO THIS NEXT
Perhaps it may help you to think about how
well you understand the usage of your LMS
and whether you are fully leveraging your
investment?
Also are you optimizing the resources
available to you supporting the system?
Consider how analytics may be of use in your
organization.

28. THANK YOU!
Peter Rayment
Learning Technology Manager
Cardiff University
raymentpj@cardiff.ac.uk
For more information on EesyAnalytics contact michel.visser@eesysoft.com or
visit Booth 606, for demonstration and free trial of software.
If you would like to provide feedback for this session please email:
BbWorldFeedback@blackboard.com
The title of this session is: What happens in Vegas Blackboard