This document analyzes students' learning patterns in an online module through the use of learning analytics. It examines a blog learning activity where students were asked to comment on and critically analyze articles. Student responses were categorized as paraphrasing, value addition, or critical thinking. The study found critical thinking was lower for more advanced articles, while value addition was present across articles. Student interaction and depth of participation varied, with complexity of articles impacting ability to paraphrase and think critically. Blogs were found to potentially promote higher-order thinking and knowledge construction through conversational interactivity. Learning analytics can help customize learning to individual students and predict needs, though institutions need tools to process and interpret growing student data.

1. Learning Analytics as a Method to Examine
Students’ Learning Patterns in an Online
Module
Santally Mohammad Issack
and
Rajkomar Reena
University of Mauritius

2. Aims of Study
(i) analyse the quality and depth of different levels
of interactions by categorising students’
responses into one of the three following
categories: paraphrasing, value addition and
critical thinking;
(ii) explore of the relationship between a specific
blog learning activity and development of
higher order thinking skills of students;
(iii) investigate on possible patterns of learner
behaviour in an online learning environment

3. Context
• A MOOC delivered online @ the University of
Mauritius to 800 first-year students
• A General Education Module called –
Educational Technologies
• Use of learning Analytics and Educational Data
Mining to study a Blog Learning Activity in the
Course

4. The Learning Environment
• Module is spanned over 2 Semesters (i.e 30 weeks)
• Module follows an Activity-Based Structure
5 Learning Activities
– Activity 1: Views and Opinions
– Activity 2: MCQs Activity
– Activity 3: Self-Assessment Questions
– Activity 4: Educational Website Development
– Activity 5: Blog Learning Activity
– Activity 6: Concept Mapping
• MOODLE Platform is used to run the course fully online

5. The Blog Learning Activity
• The Blog – http://vcilt.blogspot.com
• Blog is mainly on educational technologies.
Students had to
– Choose 2 articles.
– Post a constructive comment on the articles.
– Critically comment on others’ observation.
We use Bloom Taxonomy to analyse and decode each
instructions of the activity as to the type of cognitive
skill(s) represented and required from students.

6. Methodology
The 29 articles (at the time of the research work) can
be broadly classified as:
– General Educational Technology Research Articles
(4 articles in 2010 &3articles in 2011= 7)
– Report of a Research
(3 articles in 2010 &3 articles in 2011=6)
– Recital of a Research Project
(3 articles in 2010 &4 articles in 2011=7)
– Reflection from author/s
(6 articles in 2010 &3 articles in 2011=9)

7. Data Collection
• Students responses sorted in three categories
– Paraphrasing
– Value Addition
– Critical Thinking
• The 5 most popular articles were chosen out
of 29 for the purpose of this research.

8. Guidelines
• Paraphrasing: giving a brief overview of the topic in their own words
including accepting information/observation without assessing or
questioning their credibility.
• Value Addition: contributing ideas and/or other perspectives to the
general post altogether by referring to previous researches or articles
be it to agree or disagree. Adding value would also entail giving a
reasonable personal opinion on the topic; and add informative
comments including adding useful links or related resources.
• Critical Thinking: This would entail demonstrating a clear
understanding of the issue; developing and examining ideas as fully
as possible, presenting them clearly and credibly to others by
including appropriate assessment of the credibility of
information/observation and the value of inferences; and make valid
value judgments.

9. The Chosen Ones
• Web 2.0, Social Networks, and Learning…. – 769 posts
• VCILT showcases student’s work – 457 posts
• We have never done it before…. – 338 posts
• Investigation of student understanding and learning in
multimedia presentations using human and synthesized
voices based on ‘voice principle’ – 190 posts
• Plenary Speech at the 18th International Conference on
Learning: Training of In-Service Educators through Online
Activity-based Learning – 158 posts

10. Repartitioning of Student Posts
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Value Addition Critical Thinking Paraphrasing
Messages
Messages

11. Main Observations
• Critical Thinking was rather low in posts
related to Articles 1 & 4 (articles are of
advanced academic level)
• Critical Thinking ability demonstrated more in
Articles 2, 3 and 5 (less paraphrasing)
• Value addition input was present in all articles

12. Main Observation
• interaction was variable, and that while all
students were engaged, intensity and depth of
participation were unequal among individual
learners as far as the cognitive input was
concerned.
• Students in general were able to add value
through their posts, but their ability to
paraphrase and to think critically depend on the
nature and complexity of the articles.

13. Discussion : Blogs as an Educational
Tool
• could be used to engage instructors and students with
one another in ways that potentially promote critical
thinking and meaningful knowledge construction.
• blogs as a social networking technology, require
students to employ a collection of cognitive skills
known as ‘digital literacies’ to be able to effectively
perform and participate.
• conversational interactivity and the research affirms
that blogs represent a mode of interaction that is
conducive for promoting active learning, higher order
thinking, and improving greater flexibility in teaching
and learning.

14. Discussion: Learning Analytics
• the use of intelligent data, learner‐produced data, and
analysis models to discover information and social
connections, and to predict and advise on learning.
• customizing and tailoring educational opportunities to
the need and ability of each individual student more
effectively
• institutions may be able to provide unique learning
paths, harmonizing instructional activities to students’
learning needs and abilities.
• A need to find, adopt, customise and keep pace with the
tools needed for processing and interpreting such data

15. Thank you