Update on our first-hand experience of implementing Blackboard’s own Learning Analytics Solution. With the hindsight of having used our own Analytics for many years. Our aim was to improve the range of analytics available, specifically for UDOL who remotely manage staff and students and therefore have a broader reporting requirement than our on-campus support teams. Increasing reporting capacity to ensure that our eye is always on the ball. With Blackboard Learning Analytics there is also the added advantage of making the data available to the student so they can self-manager there progress in relation to their peers. Having implemented in early 2015 using just the out of the box reports, we are now looking to see how we can extend the capability of the reporting, and are looking forward to the journey ahead. The session will avoid using those pesky technical terms you often get with analytics. (Well there might be a couple)

1. Learning Analytics
the Integrated Way
Sandra Stevenson-Revill & Ruth Grindey
University of Derby

2. Introduction
Update on our first-hand experience of implementing
Blackboard’s own Learning Analytics Solution.
With the hindsight of having used our own Analytics for many
years.
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3. What is UDOL
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4. • Improve the range of analytics available, specifically for UDOL
– How is the system performing for student
– What tools are being used? – Can we refocus training?
– Who need us? – Where can we best spend our time?
– Why - Is there a pattern to the support requirements, can we make
changes to reduce load
– Where – Are issues focused in one area, physical/subject?
– When – Are we providing support when are students need it.
Increasing reporting capacity to ensure that our eye is always on
the ball.
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The aim

5. • 2011 – Leeds Blackboard TLC – Do you remember!
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• Number of active users, staff & students
• Types of content uploaded
• Content Areas used
• Module/Programme areas used/not used.
Before

6. Before
• Focused on
– Modules with out any content
– Modules that had not been granulated
– Broad student and staff usage figures
• How
– External reporting tool, Cognos
– via Data Warehouse
– No VLE system impact
– New reports created as required
– Blending data from SIS and VLE
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7. Why change?
• Growth in requirement
• Increased variety of tools
• Restructure
– UDOL became a separate Business Unit
• Managed warehouse
• More expansion than change
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8. How did it go
• Slowly – longer than expected – slow burn
• Still in it’s infancy
• More questions than answers. – We will be
back next year
• How will we manage the quantity of data
• Academics are excited
– But concerned. Big Brother is watching!
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9. What to expect?
• Regular calls with project managers
and the implementation team
• Start up meeting to get the basics
down
• 3 days onsite to work through the
nitty gritty
– What additional reports will we need.
Bespoke
• Academic scepticism
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10. Benefits
• Visibility – A real first.
• Trend data for 7 years across the
business for UDOL the life of the
business.
• Cause and effect analysis is now
possibility
• Correlation activities can take
place
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11. Did we have a crystal ball?
• Keeping the ‘big’ data for that long – so Analytics can use it
• Having 7 years of data
• Test and production match
• Quality of the data
• Ability to align with SIS data
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12. Analytics for students
• Not this academic year
• Need to focus on the management reports
• Assessing the students reaction
• Light touch foot print
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13. Questions
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14. Get in touch
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• Sandra Stevenson-Revill,
s.revill@derby.ac.uk
• Ruth Grindey,
r.m.grindey@derby.ac.uk