Presentation at International Computer Assisted Assessment (CAA) Conference, Zeist, Netherlands, 2014

1. Learning Analytics: From Theory to Practice
–
Data Support for Learning and Teaching
Wolfgang Greller - Martin Ebner -
Martin Schön

2. How we started?
At first there was a student who planned to write his thesis
about programmng an application for training the
multiplication tables.
We told him to imagine an ideal teacher, who doesn't know
anything about a child. He was only told that he should test
the students ability to solve all 90 problems of the tables
from 1x1 to 9x10. Please check, that we don´t speak about
underlying dispostions!
In our schools the pupils learn the multiplication facts. After
this they learn addition and subtraction with multi digit
numbers. Then they begin to learn the multidigit
multiplication and division. When I went to school, our
math lessions startet with 10 minutes mental arithmetic
over all this periods. Nowadays the teachers don´t like this
kind of instruction. But it should be done!

3. Along a simple feedback model with pedagogical tasks and
intentions and optimized reactions to the students behaviour
• the system should estimate the competence grade of the
learner
• the system should provide appropriate tasks or categories of
tasks according to the competence grade of the learner.
• the tasks should tend to be challenging.
• the system should ensure that already well-done exercises are
repeated and practiced. After succeeding a problem the
probability for a repeated display should decrease in two levels
• the tasks should be delivered on different platforms

4. Prototype:
Remark: Our University is not defined to support this development. The progress
of this project is basec on many fortunate circumstances: First single very
engaged students – some funding.

5. Now:
Ø The matrix at the left shows the history in this
training: The beige colour indicates “well known”
results, the brown is “one right answer”. The rabbit
comes from left to right to the carrot and catches
one - if the pupil produces consecutive right
answers. The task is shown for one minute.

6. Indvidual – class statistics (green, yellow, red lights)

8. Some results made us rethink ...

9. Classified
as
2
id156
0
2
4
6
8
10
1
11
21
31
41
51
61
71
81
91
101
111
121
131
141
151
161
171
181
191
201
211
Then we discovered, that our „diagnostic tool“ helped the
students to improve their competences:

12. " It is as easy as never before to collect data and to get
statistical prove for assumptions about teaching and
learning
" We perceive much more details about the learners – the
learning process – as never before!! There are two
separate aspects: the single students and the
generation of hypothesis
" Teacher get precise information to manage their courses
– without additional work. These informations generated
by the systems are more precise than a natural person
could get.
" Results can be used as a formative and a summative
asessment – but with much more reliability than single
tests → usefulness of the comparative studies

13. " The applications take an assessment and a training
perspective
" The students can work in a formal class situation and
alone at home.
" We have no opinion about correct interventions

14. Questions
" We have a situation, where the pupils in a typical class
vary more (language, cultural and social background,
knowledge). The teacher role is more and more
changing form delivering content to facilitate learning. In
this sight we expected more willingness to adopt our
support tools for teacher interventions.
Should we acquire institutions for private teaching?

15. Martin Schön
Martin.schoen@tugraz
schule.tugraz.at