Interactive Visualization Tools to Improve Learning and Teaching in Online Learning Environments

This paper presents two interactive visualization tools for learning management systems (LMS) in order to improve learning and teaching in online courses. The first tool was developed at the Intelligent Information Systems Laboratory (IISLab) at the Tampere University of Technology (TUT). The tool is used to analyse students’ activity from automatically recorded user log data and to build interactive visualizations. They provide valuable insights into the learning process and participation of students in a course offered to teachers and students. The second tool was developed at the Unitelma Sapienza University. It extends navigation and search functionalities in the discussion forum of an LMS with a topic-driven paradigm. The tool analyses forum content and automatically identifies discussion topics. It then enhances the original forum with a topic-driven navigation structure and an interactive search graph. Both tools have been developed as plug-ins for the Moodle LMS, but their analysis processes and techniques can be adopted into any LMS.Laboratorio de Investigación y Formación en Informática Avanzad

Interactive Visualization Tools to Improve Learning and Teaching in Online Learning Environments

This paper presents two interactive visualization tools for learning management systems (LMS) in order to improve learning and teaching in online courses. The first tool was developed at the Intelligent Information Systems Laboratory (IISLab) at the Tampere University of Technology (TUT). The tool is used to analyse students’ activity from automatically recorded user log data and to build interactive visualizations. They provide valuable insights into the learning process and participation of students in a course offered to teachers and students. The second tool was developed at the Unitelma Sapienza University. It extends navigation and search functionalities in the discussion forum of an LMS with a topic-driven paradigm. The tool analyses forum content and automatically identifies discussion topics. It then enhances the original forum with a topic-driven navigation structure and an interactive search graph. Both tools have been developed as plug-ins for the Moodle LMS, but their analysis processes and techniques can be adopted into any LMS

Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators: 2018/19 Annual Review Report

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Análisis del aprendizaje: una revisión sistemática de literatura.

The majority of algorithms used in the data analysis are designed according to the capacities of power and flexibility rather than for its simplicity and are too complex to use in the educational context. The objective of this paperis to present a literature review on the learning analytics in higher education: problems, limitations, techniques and tools used. The systematicliterature review methodology was used to answer three research questions on the basis of scientific publications. This paper concludes that it mustimplement, adapt or develop algorithms for the educational context and must be build tools for the analysis of educational data with intuitive interfaces and easy to use.La mayoría de algoritmos utilizados en el análisis de datos están diseñados de acuerdo con las capacidades de potencia y flexibilidad más que por su sencillez, y son demasiado complejos de utilizar en el contexto educativo. El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar una revisión de literatura sobre el análisis del aprendizaje en la educación superior: problemas, limitaciones, técnicas y herramientas empleadas. Se utilizó la metodología de la revisión sistemática de literatura para responder a tres preguntas de investigación tomando como base publicaciones científicas. Se concluye que se deben implementar, adaptar o desarrollar algoritmos predeterminados para el contexto educativo y, también, construir herramientas para el análisis de datos educacionales que cuenten con interfaces intuitivas y fáciles de utilizar

Efforts in Europe for data-driven improvement of education : A review of learning analytics research in seven countries

Information and communication technologies are increasingly mediating learning and teaching practices as well as how educational institutions are handling their administrative work. As such, students and teachers are leaving large amounts of digital footprints and traces in various educational apps and learning management platforms, and educational administrators register various processes and outcomes in digital administrative systems. It is against such a background we in recent years have seen the emergence of the fast-growing and multi-disciplinary field of learning analytics. In this paper, we examine the research efforts that have been conducted in the field of learning analytics in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Germany, Spain, and Sweden. More specifically, we report on developed national policies, infrastructures and competence centers, as well as major research projects and developed research strands within the selected countries. The main conclusions of this paper are that the work of researchers around Europe has not led to national adoption or European level strategies for learning analytics. Furthermore, most countries have not established national policies for learners’ data or guidelines that govern the ethical usage of data in research or education. We also conclude, that learning analytics research on pre-university level to high extent have been overlooked. In the same vein, learning analytics has not received enough focus form national and European national bodies. Such funding is necessary for taking steps towards data-driven development of education

An Evaluation of Open Digital Gaming Platforms for Developing Computational Thinking Skills

Due to business needs and the growing importance of technology in society, in recent years, the concept of computational thinking has emerged, especially focused on its inclusion in compulsory education as a relevant complement, transversal to traditional subjects. In parallel, various initiatives have developed interactive digital tools for learners to meet this type of thinking through a series of activities commonly framed as games. In this chapter, we evaluate many of the existing free access platforms to propose pedagogical, design, and content approaches with which they can be compared

Visual Narratives for Accounting Knowledge Integration

Accounting is traditionally seen as the language of business and as a tool for managers to support their decision-making. However, recent evidence shows that accounting information is not always used to its full potential in business organizations. To be transformed into valuable knowledge, accounting information needs to be effectively communicated to its users, leading to collective understanding and action. Nowadays, when the amounts of available data and information increases, multimedia and information technologies provide innovative ways to improve the ways how people interact with information. Multimedia communication can be applied as one of the tools to improve the integration of accounting information into individual and collective knowledge. The objective of this thesis is to introduce visual storytelling as one of the ways of representation of accounting knowledge, and to explore whether and how visual narratives can facilitate better understanding and applicability of accounting information. The theoretical framework of the thesis includes theories from the domains of knowledge management, organizational learning, cognitive psychology, visual design and narrative studies, bringing them to the context of management accounting research. Visualization helps individuals to organize information, to understand quickly vast amounts of data and to derive analytical insights bypassing verbal explanation. Stories enable creating shared experience and collective understanding, which in turn leads to coordinated collective action. The outcomes of the this study suggest that visual narratives, such as animation and infographics, can be taken seriously as a knowledge sharing tool, especially in the communication between accounting professionals and less competent users of accounting information. Visual storytelling is an effective learning tool for accounting education; furthermore, presenting accounting information as a visualized story adds value to the communication process in management teams and between organizations. The results can provide innovative directions for further research and for practical implementation of multimedia tools in business analytics

Analyzing the behavior of students regarding learning activities, badges, and academic dishonesty in MOOC environment

Mención Internacional en el título de doctorThe ‘big data’ scene has brought new improvement opportunities to most products and services, including education. Web-based learning has become very widespread over the last decade, which in conjunction with the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) phenomenon, it has enabled the collection of large and rich data samples regarding the interaction of students with these educational online environments. We have detected different areas in the literature that still need improvement and more research studies. Particularly, in the context of MOOCs and Small Private Online Courses (SPOCs), where we focus our data analysis on the platforms Khan Academy, Open edX and Coursera. More specifically, we are going to work towards learning analytics visualization dashboards, carrying out an evaluation of these visual analytics tools. Additionally, we will delve into the activity and behavior of students with regular and optional activities, badges and their online academically dishonest conduct. The analysis of activity and behavior of students is divided first in exploratory analysis providing descriptive and inferential statistics, like correlations and group comparisons, as well as numerous visualizations that facilitate conveying understandable information. Second, we apply clustering analysis to find different profiles of students for different purposes e.g., to analyze potential adaptation of learning experiences and pedagogical implications. Third, we also provide three machine learning models, two of them to predict learning outcomes (learning gains and certificate accomplishment) and one to classify submissions as illicit or not. We also use these models to discuss about the importance of variables. Finally, we discuss our results in terms of the motivation of students, student profiling, instructional design, potential actuators and the evaluation of visual analytics dashboards providing different recommendations to improve future educational experiments.Las novedades en torno al ‘big data’ han traído nuevas oportunidades de mejorar la mayoría de productos y servicios, incluyendo la educación. El aprendizaje mediante tecnologías web se ha extendido mucho durante la última década, que conjuntamente con el fenómeno de los cursos abiertos masivos en línea (MOOCs), ha permitido que se recojan grandes y ricas muestras de datos sobre la interacción de los estudiantes con estos entornos virtuales de aprendizaje. Nosotros hemos detectado diferentes áreas en la literatura que aún necesitan de mejoras y del desarrollo de más estudios, específicamente en el contexto de MOOCs y cursos privados pequeños en línea (SPOCs). En la tesis nos hemos enfocado en el análisis de datos en las plataformas Khan Academy, Open edX y Coursera. Más específicamente, vamos a trabajar en interfaces de visualizaciones de analítica de aprendizaje, llevando a cabo la evaluación de estas herramientas de analítica visual. Además, profundizaremos en la actividad y el comportamiento de los estudiantes con actividades comunes y opcionales, medallas y sus conductas en torno a la deshonestidad académica. Este análisis de actividad y comportamiento comienza primero con análisis exploratorio proporcionando variables descriptivas y de inferencia estadística, como correlaciones y comparaciones entre grupos, así como numerosas visualizaciones que facilitan la transmisión de información inteligible. En segundo lugar aplicaremos técnicas de agrupamiento para encontrar distintos perfiles de estudiantes con diferentes propósitos, como por ejemplo para analizar posibles adaptaciones de experiencias educativas y sus implicaciones pedagógicas. También proporcionamos tres modelos de aprendizaje máquina, dos de ellos que predicen resultados finales de aprendizaje (ganancias de aprendizaje y la consecución de certificados de terminación) y uno para clasificar que ejercicios han sido entregados de forma deshonesta. También usaremos estos tres modelos para analizar la importancia de las variables. Finalmente, discutimos todos los resultados en términos de la motivación de los estudiantes, diferentes perfiles de estudiante, diseño instruccional, posibles sistemas actuadores, así como la evaluación de interfaces de analítica visual, proporcionando recomendaciones que pueden ayudar a mejorar futuras experiencias educacionales.Programa Oficial de Doctorado en Ingeniería TelemáticaPresidente: Davinia Hernández Leo.- Secretario: Luis Sánchez Fernández.- Vocal: Adolfo Ruiz Callej