D9.2 Report, containing internal deliverable outcomes ID9.2-ID9.11

The aim of this deliverable is to report on TENCompetence training activities from the project month 13 to 30The work on this publication has been sponsored by the TENCompetence Integrated Project that is funded by the European Commission's 6th Framework Programme, priority IST/Technology Enhanced Learning. Contract 027087 [http://www.tencompetence.org

Towards learning analytics adoption: A mixed methods study of data-related practices and policies in Latin American universities

In Latin American universities, Learning Analytics (LA) has been perceived as a promising opportunity to leverage data to meet the needs of a diverse student cohort. Although universities have been collecting educational data for years, the adoption of LA in this region is still limited due to the lack of expertise and policies for processing and using educational data. In order to get a better picture of how existing data‐related practices and policies might affect the incorporation of LA in Latin American institutions, we conducted a mixed methods study in four Latin American universities (two Chilean and two Ecuadorian). In this paper, the qualitative data were based on 37 interviews with managers and 16 focus groups with 51 teaching staff and 45 students; the quantitative data were collected through two surveys answered by 1884 students and 368 teachers, respectively. The findings reveal opportunities to incorporate LA services into existing data practices in the four case studies. However, the lack of reliable information systems and policies to regulate the use of data imposes challenges that need to be overcome for future LA adoption.In Latin American universities, Learning Analytics (LA) has been perceived as a promising opportunity to leverage data to meet the needs of a diverse student cohort. Although universities have been collecting educational data for years, the adoption of LA in this region is still limited due to the lack of expertise and policies for processing and using educational data. In order to get a better picture of how existing data‐related practices and policies might affect the incorporation of LA in Latin American institutions, we conducted a mixed methods study in four Latin American universities (two Chilean and two Ecuadorian). In this paper, the qualitative data were based on 37 interviews with managers and 16 focus groups with 51 teaching staff and 45 students; the quantitative data were collected through two surveys answered by 1884 students and 368 teachers, respectively. The findings reveal opportunities to incorporate LA services into existing data practices in the four case studies. However, the lack of reliable information systems and policies to regulate the use of data imposes challenges that need to be overcome for future LA adoption

Phytosociological analysis of restored and managed grassland habitat within an urban national park

Floyd Bennett Field (FBF), 579 ha in extent, is a division of Gateway National Recreation Area. It is the site of a former airfield, constructed by filling salt marshes with dredged materials. Except for the portion known locally as the “North Forty,” all sections of FBF have been cut over to maintain low vegetation. A grassland management plan (GRAMP) for 165 ha was initiated in 1986, to maintain habitats for open-country birds. Over the next few years, encroaching woody vegetation was removed manually and mechanically from the management area. Since then, it has been maintained as a grassland and receives annual mowing, as well as continued manual removal of the larger woody sprouts. A portion of the GRAMP management area (III) was selected for intensive study of vegetation composition. A grid system was created and vegetation cover was estimated in 127, 1 m × 1 m quadrats. The quadrats were subjected to cluster analysis (CA). Eleven clusters were recognized. These clusters were treated as “plant associations.” The following types were distinguished: (native) little bluestem–dewberry grassland, six-weeks fescue annual grassland, a grass marsh, a rush marsh, a switchgrass dry grassland, and a deer-tongue panicgrass grassland; (exotic) mugwort herbland, oriental bittersweet-Japanese honeysuckle vineland, Kentucky bluegrass-mixed grassland, Japanese knotweed tall herbland, and spotted knapweed-common St. Johnswort herbland. The little bluestem–dewberry association accounted for nearly half of all quadrats; six subclusters were recognized. The plant associations determined by CA were compared with plant lists compiled during traverses of all of the map categories in the six GRAMP Areas (I, II, III, IV, V, VI). A table was created to relate the quantitative data of the plant associations to the appropriate map categories. A nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination (NMDS) was performed on the quadrat data. Finally, the plant associations were compared with those described in the literature of local vegetation studies. The mowing program has been effective in decreasing woody plant cover and has permitted the invasion of a few taxa into monospecific communities, but attendant disturbance of the substrate is likely to cause an increase in exotic plant taxa. As earlier studies noted, mowing has caused the increase in cover of sod-forming grass, and bare ground has virtually disappeared in the managed area. This has negative implications for the maintenance of those grassland bird species that require open ground for nesting

What Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Stakeholders Can Learn from Learning Analytics?

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are the road that led to a revolution and a new era of learning environments. Educational institutions have come under pressure to adopt new models that assure openness in their education distribution. Nonetheless, there is still altercation about the pedagogical approach and the absolute information delivery to the students. On the other side with the use of Learning Analytics, powerful tools become available which mainly aim to enhance learning and improve learners performance. In this chapter, the development phases of a Learning Analytics prototype and the experiment of integrating it into a MOOC platform, called iMooX will be presented. This chapter explores how MOOC Stakeholders may benefit from Learning Analytics as well as it reports an exploratory analysis of some of the offered courses and demonstrate use cases as a typical evaluation of this prototype in order to discover hidden patterns, overture future proper decisions and to optimize learning with applicable and convenient interventions.Comment: Learning, Design, and Technology, Springer International Publishing. (pp. 1-30) (2016