{"id":5111,"date":"2022-10-16T16:58:03","date_gmt":"2022-10-16T23:58:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec522\/?p=5111"},"modified":"2025-05-07T13:35:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T20:35:59","slug":"what-is-learning-analytics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec522\/2022\/10\/16\/what-is-learning-analytics\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Learning Analytics?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Brief Look at Analytics Today<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason why Netflix is so valuable as a company isn’t just because of its large subscriber base, it’s because the company knows exactly what kind of entertainment media you like to consume in detail down to the words that the actors say.<\/strong> According to this article<\/a>, Netflix tracks data points like exactly when movies become too scary for you. No wonder why so many hit series and shows are now produced by Netflix, they know what you like better than you do.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you think this is unsettling, think also about why social media can be so addictive, companies like Google, Facebook, and Tiktok track exactly what makes people stay longer on their platform, and personalizes content for people to maximize the time they spend on the platform<\/strong>. After all, they make money by selling your attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big data and analytics have been around for a long time. Companies like SAP, Accenture, Tableau, and Oracle have been in the business of analytics for over a decade. And while Cambridge Analytica ceased operations in 2018 after its scandal with Facebook, its parent company SCL Group, founded in 1990, is still in operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Analytics and business intelligence are, then, not a new field by any means. However, with the rise of alternative education platforms such as MOOCs, the introduction of learning management systems in the classroom, as well as software applications complementary to the learning experience, this digitization of learning is accompanied by a large influx of big data. This data can only be analyzed computationally because of its sheer size. All of this has led to a rise in the field of analytics for education. This can be seen in the form of companies that analyze learning data to allow decision-makers to make data-driven decisions or software learning solutions that make use of learning analytics to directly intervene in the learning experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning Analytics Explained<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of analytics for education, it’s important to note that we will focus on learning analytics and not academic analytics, which is a form of analytics that concerns itself with admissions, retention, and other educational data points that do not directly have anything to do with optimizing teaching and learning. The definition of learning analytics is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LEARNING ANALYTICS<\/strong> is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data about learners and their contexts, for purposes of understanding and optimising learning and the environments in which it occurs.<\/p>As defined by the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SOLAR)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

This short video by SOLAR will give you a good foundational understanding of learning analytics, a type of learning analytics that concerns itself with improving teaching and learning, pedagogy, and behavior inside and outside of the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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