In this short presentation to the Chartered ABS Annual Conference 2016, Baback and myself will talk about the importance of Learning Analytics and how it may prove to be a useful tool with regards to the impending Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Review. Baback and I will also talk about our own experiences and highlight what we are doing with respect to learning analytics.

1. Boosting student success:
The role of data analytics
Professor Baback Yazdani
Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University
Pete Alston
Institute of Human and Life Sciences, University of Liverpool
Chartered ABS Annual Conference (14-15 November 2016) – Hilton Wembley, London
http://www.trinus.com/slider/customers-and-grow-business-2/analytics/

2. Overview
• A new opportunity?
• TEF is ‘looming’
– Can analytics play a ‘supporting’ role?
• What is being done?
– Adaptive Learning (Liverpool)
– Dashboard and Personalisation (Nottingham)

3. Where are we at?
Just before we get going …
Is your institution is making use of data/learning analytics
to support students?
I don't think we have a clue what they are about! (CABSA)
I think it is on the radar, but nothing more ... (CABSB)
We are aware of it, but haven't taken any concrete steps to implementing (CABSC)
We are aware of analytics and have attempted to implement something across the
institution (CABSD)
We are fully engaged with analytics to support students and use them to fully
support our students (CABSE)

4. The ‘online’ environment
Presents an opportunity …
• Impacting on policy and practice and is becoming
common place in higher education (Gikandi, Morrow, & Davis,
2011; Rowley, Lujan, & Dolence, 1998)
• Presents an opportunity to enhance the learning
environment for both tutors and students (Angelo & Cross,
1993; Sujo de Montes & Gonzales, 2000; Whitelock & Brasher, 2006)
– Students ‘expect’ technology as they become more
“electrate” (Ulmer, 2003)
– Technology = Data ≠ Wasted opportunity!
• Demands a reaction at the ‘micro-’, ‘meso-’ and
‘macro-’ level

5. The new norm(al)?
Johnson, Adams Becker, Cummins, Estrada et al. (2016)
Policy
measuring learning; balancing the ‘connectedness’
Practice
re-designing learning spaces; personalised learning

6. The new norm(al)?
Learning Analytics present an opportunity …
“… measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of
data about learners and their contexts, for the purposes
of understanding and optimising learning and the
environments in which it occurs.” (Siemens, 2013)
• ‘Data’ about students and their activities (JISC, 2015)
– Understand and improve educational processes; emphasis on
better supporting students
• Multi-disciplinary field
– AI; adaptive hypermedia, education; citation analysis etc.
• Varying levels of use

7. https://collegestats.org/2013/01/how-can-data-mining-analytics-enhance-education/

8. Why the ‘fuss’?
‘Lurking’ in the background …
• Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF)
– Inform student choice about what and were to study
– Raising esteem for teaching
– Recognise and reward excellent teaching
– Better meeting the needs of employers, business, industry
and the professions
“… recognise those institutions that do the most to
welcome students from a range of backgrounds and
support their retention and progress on to further
study or a graduate job” (Johnson, 2015)

9. TEF Metrics (Step 1)
Can data analytics can play a role?
• ‘Teaching Quality’ (NSS)
– Teaching on my course (1-4); Assessment and feedback (5-9)
• ‘Learning Environment’ (NSS; HESA)
– Academic Support (10-12); Non continuation
• ‘Student Outcomes and Learning Gain’ (DLHE)
– Graduates in employment or further study
– Graduates in highly skilled employment or further study

10. TEF Metrics (Step 1)
Can data analytics can play a role?
• ‘Teaching Quality’ (NSS)
– Teaching on my course (1-4); Assessment and feedback (5-9)
• ‘Learning Environment’ (NSS; HESA)
– Academic Support (10-12); Non continuation
• ‘Student Outcomes and Learning Gain’ (DLHE)
– Graduates in employment or further study
– Graduates in highly skilled employment or further study

11. McGraw-Hill SmartBook
University of Liverpool

12. McGraw-Hill SmartBook
University of Liverpool

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and sustainability.

14. Click to edit Master title style
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& Improve
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Deeply rooted in NBS’ DNA and history
Enriched student experience
Embedded in all module and programme design
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Excellent Student Experience
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of
Learning
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Design
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Fellowship
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Personalisation

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Personalised
Student
Experience
Personalised
Experiential
Portfolio
Personalised
Knowledge
Portfolio
Personalised
Career
Support
Personal
Learning
Styles

17. Click to edit Master title styleNBS Personalised Student Experience
Personalised
Knowledge
Portfolio
Personalised
Experiential
Portfolio
Personalised
Career
Support
Personal
Learning
Styles
Alumni
Fellowship
Programme
Student
Dashboard
Optional
Choices
Study
Mode
Choices
Diagnostic
Tools
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Learning
Tools
Tailored
Placements &
Internships
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Project Based
Learning
Community
Projects
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Project
Study Tours
& Missions
Reflective
Practice
Specialist
Support
Tailored
Inspirational
Programmes
Enterprise
Development
Programme
Student
Competitions
Academic
Mentors
International
Exchange
Professional
Memberships
Virtual
Learning
Environment

18. Click to edit Master title style
Attainment
Belonging
Student Retention
• Reduce barriers to being known
by a tutor
• Space for tutors to make notes &
co-create action plans
• Students as co-creating agents
• Can see own grades, and
compare self to peers
• Feedback
• Tool for academic and
personal development
• Promotes virtuous behaviour
• Early warnings
• Relationship building
• Information about support
Primary interests in the Dashboard

19. Click to edit Master title style
Student
Dashboard
Student biographical
info, e.g. enrolment
status
Evidence of student
engagement
• Door swipes
(where appropriate)
• Library book
loans
• Electronic journal
use
• VLE use
• Dropbox
submissions
• Attendance
Staff
view
Student
view
Compares student
engagement across the
cohort & gives rating
Can make
comments in
free text box
Raises
alerts!!
How does the dashboard work?

20. Click to edit Master title styleStudent Dashboard

21. Click to edit Master title style
Engagement
for past 5 days
Explanation of
engagement
ratings
Advice about
what to do to
improve
engagement

22. Click to edit Master title styleEngagement Rating

23. Click to edit Master title styleElectronic ResourcesElectronic Resources

24. Click to edit Master title styleDashboard Student information
Prior Qualifications
E.g. Does the student
have a BTEC as part of
their entry qualification?
Engagement alerts
Engagement alerts are generated after 2
weeks of no engagement

25. Click to edit Master title styleNotes & Referrals
• All staff are able to
refer students to the
Academic Librarians
from the New
Referral drop down
menu
• Staff are able to
refer students to
Student Support
Services team.
Notes and referrals

26. Click to edit Master title style
• This data is
drawn
automatically
from the
attendance app
• The wheel
shows overall
attendance
• As the data is
presented the
next day, it is
important to
keep
attendance
data up to date

27. Click to edit Master title styleAssessment & Feedback ViewAssessment and Feedback

28. Click to edit Master title styleResearch into the Dashboard’s accuracy
•In 2012-13 the developers provided
evidence that the engagement ratings in
the Dashboard were sufficiently accurate to
run the 2013-14 pilot
•In December 2014, we tested the
progression and attainment for the whole
2013-14 student cohort
•We tested the relationship between
average engagement and both progression
and attainment
•There is a strong correlation between these
factors

29. Click to edit Master title styleLearning Analytics - Dashboard project
• It provides students with an overview of how they are
engaging with their studies
• It offers academic mentors / teaching staff an overview of
student engagement for their students
• It improves the process of providing additional support to
students
• It provides the School with further insight into the progression
and attainment for specific groups of students
• It enables development of new models of teaching and
learning
Student Dashboard

30. Click to edit Master title styleNBS Personalisation
Personalised
Student
Experience
Personalised
Experiential
Portfolio
Personalised
Knowledge
Portfolio
Personalised
Career
Support
Personal
Learning
Styles

31. Summary
What’s the take home message?
• TEF will impact on us in a number of ways
– Whilst we might not be able to impact TEF Year 2,
technology might help us to do something about Year 3!
• Use of analytics may well require a ‘re-think’ of
pedagogy
– Along with how/what technology you have available?
• At the ‘heart’ of analytics is the student
– For them: a personalised learning experience
– For us: information in one place to make ‘informed’
decisions

32. Questions?
Angelo, T., & Cross, K. (1993). Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Gikandi, J., Morrow, D., & Davis, N. (2011). Online formative assessment in higher education: A review of the literature. Computers & Education, 57(4),
2333-2351. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2011.06.004
JISC. (2015). Code of practice for learning analytics. Retrieved from https://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/code-of-practice-for-learning-analytics
Johnson, J. (2015). ‘Teaching at the heart of the system’ https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/teaching-at-the-heart-of-the-system
Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Estrada, V., Freeman, A., & Hall, C. (2016). NMC Horizon Report: 2016 Higher Education Edition. Austin,
Texas: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved from http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2016-nmc-horizon-report-he-EN.pdf
Rowley, D., Lujan, H., & Dolence, M. (1998). Strategic choices for the academy: How demand for lifelong learning will re-create higher education. San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Siemens, G. (2013). Learning Analytics: The Emergence of a Discipline. American Behavioural Scientist, 57(10), 1380-1400. doi: 10.1177/0002764213498851
Sujo de Montes, L., & Gonzales, C. (2000). Been there, done that: reaching teachers through distance education. Journal of Technology and Teacher
Education, 8(4), 351-371.
Whitelock, D., & Brasher, A. (2006). Roadmap for e-assessment. Retrieved from
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearningpedagogy/assessment.aspx
Ulmer, G.L. (2003). Internet Invention: From Literacy to Electracy. New York: Longman.