Learning Analytics: Practitioners, Take Note

From its early days, the Learning Analytics community has dedicated considerable efforts to opening communication avenues between researchers and practitioners. As early as 2012, at the Second International Learning Analytics and Knowledge conference (LAK’12), there were Design Briefing submissions dedicated to people who ‘spend more time building learning analytics tools than writing about them’ (LAK12 CFP). Since then, at every LAK conference, design briefings have been assigned a variety of different names but have always co-existed with more traditional, research-oriented submissions. In a similar manner, from its inaugural issue, the Journal of Learning Analytics has included a section, originally called ‘Hot Spots’ and now ‘Practical Reports’, that highlights the work of practitioners in the field. From the start, the objectives of this deliberate mixture have been to inform researchers of the ideas that are successfully applied in educational institutions, and to provide practitioners with a direct connection to fresh, evidence-supported innovations. To facilitate this two-way communication between researchers and practitioners, since 2018 each research paper published in the journal has included a ‘Notes for Practice’ section and, similarly, each practical report begins with a ‘Notes for Research’ section. Within these bullet-pointed sections, authors summarise the main implications of their work for the respective subcommunity, allowing an easier flow of knowledge and ideas between researchers and practitioners. For this editorial, we analysed all ‘Notes for Practice’ published in the journal, from the introduction of this section in issue 5(1) to the issue before this one, 9(2). Our goals were to examine critically the ways in which these notes have been used to foster collaboration between researchers and practitioners, and also to summarise key findings that practitioners can use to inform their work

Narrowing the Feedback Gap : Examining Student Engagement with Personalized and Actionable Feedback Messages

Funding The authors declared no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this articlePeer reviewedPublisher PD

Where is research on massive open online courses headed? A data analysis of the MOOC research initiative

This paper reports on the results of an analysis of the research proposals submitted to the MOOC Research Initiative (MRI) funded by the Gates Foundation and administered by Athabasca University. The goal of MRI was to mobilize researchers to engage into critical interrogation of MOOCs. The submissions – 266 in Phase 1, out of which 78 was recommended for resubmission in the extended form in Phase 2, and finally, 28 funded – were analyzed by applying conventional and automated content analysis methods as well as citation network analysis methods. The results revealed the main research themes that could form a framework of the future MOOC research: i) student engagement and learning success, ii) MOOC design and curriculum, iii) self-regulated learning and social learning, iv) social network analysis and networked learning, and v) motivation, attitude and success criteria. The theme of social learning received the greatest interest and had the highest success in attracting funding. The submissions that planned on using learning analytics methods were more successful. The use of mixed methods was by far the most popular. Design-based research methods were also suggested commonly, but the questions about their applicability arose regarding the feasibility to perform multiple iterations in the MOOC context and rather a limited focus on technological support for interventions. The submissions were dominated by the researchers from the field of education (75% of the accepted proposals). Not only was this a possible cause of a complete lack of success of the educational technology innovation theme, but it could be a worrying sign of the fragmentation in the research community and the need to increased efforts towards enhancing interdisciplinarity

Exploring the factors affecting MOOC retention: a survey study

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) hold the potential to open up educational opportunities to a global audience. However, evidence suggests that only a small proportion of MOOC participants go on to complete their courses and relatively little is understood about the MOOC design and implementation factors that influence retention. This paper reports a survey study of 379 participants enrolled at university in Cairo who were encouraged to take a MOOC of their own choice as part of their development. 122 participants (32.2%) went onto to complete an entire course. There were no significant differences in completion rates by gender, level of study (undergraduate or postgraduate) or MOOC platform. A post-MOOC survey of students’ perceptions found that MOOC Course Content was a significant predictor of MOOC retention, with the relationship mediated by the effect of content on the Perceived Effectiveness of the course. Interaction with the instructor of the MOOC was also found to be significant predictor of MOOC retention. Overall these constructs explained 79% of the variance in MOOC retention

Emerging technologies and research ethics: Developing editorial policy using a scoping review and reference panel

Background Emerging technologies and societal changes create new ethical concerns and greater need for cross-disciplinary and cross–stakeholder communication on navigating ethics in research. Scholarly articles are the primary mode of communication for researchers, however there are concerns regarding the expression of research ethics in these outputs. If not in these outputs, where should researchers and stakeholders learn about the ethical considerations of research? Objectives Drawing on a scoping review, analysis of policy in a specific disciplinary context (learning and technology), and reference group discussion, we address concerns regarding research ethics, in research involving emerging technologies through developing novel policy that aims to foster learning through the expression of ethical concepts in research. Approach This paper develops new editorial policy for expression of research ethics in scholarly outputs across disciplines. These guidelines, aimed at authors, reviewers, and editors, are underpinned by: 1. a cross-disciplinary scoping review of existing policy and adherence to these policies; 2. a review of emerging policies, and policies in a specific discipline (learning and technology); and, 3. a collective drafting process undertaken by a reference group of journal editors (the authors of this paper). Results Analysis arising from the scoping review indicates gaps in policy across a wide range of journals (54% have no statement regarding reporting of research ethics), and adherence (51% of papers reviewed did not refer to ethics considerations). Analysis of emerging and discipline-specific policies highlights gaps. Conclusion Our collective policy development process develops novel materials suitable for cross-disciplinary transfer, to address specific issues of research involving AI, and broader challenges of emerging technologies

Emerging Technologies and Research Ethics: Developing Editorial Policy Using a Scoping Review and Reference Panel

Background Emerging technologies and societal changes create new ethical concerns and greater need for cross-disciplinary and cross–stakeholder communication on navigating ethics in research. Scholarly articles are the primary mode of communication for researchers, however there are concerns regarding the expression of research ethics in these outputs. If not in these outputs, where should researchers and stakeholders learn about the ethical considerations of research? Objectives Drawing on a scoping review, analysis of policy in a specific disciplinary context (learning and technology), and reference group discussion, we address concerns regarding research ethics, in research involving emerging technologies through developing novel policy that aims to foster learning through the expression of ethical concepts in research. Approach This paper develops new editorial policy for expression of research ethics in scholarly outputs across disciplines. These guidelines, aimed at authors, reviewers, and editors, are underpinned by: a cross-disciplinary scoping review of existing policy and adherence to these policies; a review of emerging policies, and policies in a specific discipline (learning and technology); and, a collective drafting process undertaken by a reference group of journal editors (the authors of this paper). Results Analysis arising from the scoping review indicates gaps in policy across a wide range of journals (54% have no statement regarding reporting of research ethics), and adherence (51% of papers reviewed did not refer to ethics considerations). Analysis of emerging and discipline-specific policies highlights gaps. Conclusion Our collective policy development process develops novel materials suitable for cross-disciplinary transfer, to address specific issues of research involving AI, and broader challenges of emerging technologies