Improving learning analytics – Combining observational and self-report data on student learning

Abstract

The field of education technology is embracing a use of learning analytics to improve student experiences of learning. Along with exponential growth in this area is an increasing concern of the interpretability of the analytics from the student experience and what they can tell us about learning. This study offers a way to address some of the concerns of collecting and interpreting learning analytics to improve student learning by combining observational and self-report data. The results present two models for predicting student academic performance which suggest that a combination of both observational and self-report data explains a significantly higher variation in student outcomes. The results offer a way into discussing the quality of interpretations of learning analytics and their usefulness for helping to improve the student experience of learning and also suggest a pathway for future research into this area.