TY - GEN
T1 - Challenges and opportunities for learning analytics when formal teaching meets social spaces
AU - Rahman, Nazim
AU - Dron, Jon
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Social networking is revolutionizing the world in ways few imagined just a few years ago. The power of social networking technology can also be leveraged to improve education and enhance the instructor and learner experience. Unlike conventional learning management systems, social software environments such as Athabasca Landing provide a persistent space and are flexible enough to support social and learner-led methods of informal, non-formal, and formal learning. Analytics can be used to effectively track and measure personal progress and help uncover extra-curricular factor affecting learner success such as network formation and growth. The paper reports on an attempt to explore this problem through analysis of student behaviour on the Athabasca Landing site within the context of a course. Its findings, explanation, and potential implications are listed. Effects of social learning on learners, based on the learner's behaviour before, during, and after the course are described and discussed. Finally, features of an open source tool created for this analysis, LASSIE is presented.
AB - Social networking is revolutionizing the world in ways few imagined just a few years ago. The power of social networking technology can also be leveraged to improve education and enhance the instructor and learner experience. Unlike conventional learning management systems, social software environments such as Athabasca Landing provide a persistent space and are flexible enough to support social and learner-led methods of informal, non-formal, and formal learning. Analytics can be used to effectively track and measure personal progress and help uncover extra-curricular factor affecting learner success such as network formation and growth. The paper reports on an attempt to explore this problem through analysis of student behaviour on the Athabasca Landing site within the context of a course. Its findings, explanation, and potential implications are listed. Effects of social learning on learners, based on the learner's behaviour before, during, and after the course are described and discussed. Finally, features of an open source tool created for this analysis, LASSIE is presented.
KW - analytics
KW - formal learning
KW - informal learning
KW - social systems
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84864648763&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1145/2330601.2330619
DO - 10.1145/2330601.2330619
M3 - Published Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84864648763
SN - 9781450311113
T3 - ACM International Conference Proceeding Series
SP - 54
EP - 58
BT - LAK 2012 - Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge
T2 - 2nd International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge, LAK 2012
Y2 - 29 April 2012 through 2 May 2012
ER -