Learning analytics
Interpret learning traces through educational theory
Learning analytics analyses data about learners and their contexts to understand and support learning. Sources include platform logs, assessments, participation records and qualitative accounts. Descriptive dashboards, predictive models and intervention evaluations answer different questions. Digital activity is an imperfect trace of learning; interpretation requires knowledge of instructional design, off-platform work, student agency and the purpose of analysis.
Choose it when accessible educational data can answer a specific learning question and the instructional context is understood, with appropriate governance and a practical plan for interpreting or acting on findings.
Strengths
- Can examine learning patterns over time at scale
- Connects support decisions with timely observational evidence
Limitations
- Platform activity may poorly represent learning or effort
- Prediction can create harmful labels and feedback loops
Know the boundary
Predicting low attainment does not show that a proposed intervention will prevent it.