Learning analytics policy in Aalto university

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Next update will be published for academic term 2023-2024.
Schools, Aalto University student union, and Aalto services focal for learning analytics have been contacted to participate to comment on Learning analytics policy.
Commenting closes at 3.3.2023.
 

Learning analytics policy in Aalto university

The aim of learning analytics policy is to support and guide the development and use of learning analytics. It aims to clarify the goals and principles of learning analytics in Aalto and define the use of data and analytics results.

The policy has been collaboratively prepared by Learning Services, Aalto University IT, Management Information Services, Academic Legal Services, Aalto University Student Union (AYY) and Aalto teachers’ representatives. Academic staff and service specialist have been participating to prepare the policy. Aalto has been a leading actor developing learning analytics policy on the field of Finnish higher education.

Learning analytics policy will be updated regularly.

What is learning analytics and what are its aims?

The types of learning and learning opportunities are becoming increasingly versatile. At the same time, Digital learning environments are offering amounts of data of studying and teaching. By analysing this data, we can understand learning and its opportunities and its bottlenecks better.

Learning analytics in this policy is widely defined as the collection, measurement, analysis, and reporting of data about learners, teaching and education, for the purposes of understanding and supporting learning, the environments in which it occurs and supporting education management. Learning analytics offers tools that can be used by students, teachers, academic advising and the support of the studies as well as programme level management.  

In Aalto university learning analytics aims to help the students adopt an active approach towards studies and to support their well-being and study success, by offering meaning study modules and courses, and well-timed and individual guidance and support. Learning analytics does not replace the users’ interpretation or the decision making but aims to offer data-supported added value to these processes. The use of learning analytics requires a critical view that the data and methos used and the results may be skewed and need a critical stance and continuous development.

At the moment, in Aalto university analytics for educational purposes is taking its first steps.

The use of learning analytics will take place as part of the processes and practices of studying, teaching, and advising.  The typical analytics end tools at the moment are reports and visualizations, which describe the activity. As the analytics develops, also recommendations or predictive tools may become available, taking into account the rules and regulation of data privacy issues.

Examples of recent analytics development are MyCourses data reporting and visualizing tools for students and teachers of course activity and studying, and the renewed Degree programme report tool. Analytics tools for students and advising to give information about e.g. the study path, study workload and study progress are being developed and to be piloted during spring 2023 as part of Aalto service platform. In addition, several analytics tools are under development to support the processes and practices of studying, teaching, guidance and education management.

Learning analytics aims to support:

• Students to pursue and complete studies in a systematic manner, enhance their self-regulation of the studies, their studying skills and wellbeing.
• Teachers to get relevant and timely information of and to support the students’ work, and to evaluate and develop teaching methods, pedagogical arrangements and learning materials.
• Academic advisors and learning services staff to get accurate and timely information of the students to support the students’ study progress.
• University in data-supported evaluation, development and decision making of its degree programmes, teaching portfolio and processes.

Learning analytics policy document (EN) can be found as a pdf-document below on this page (requires aalto.fi login)

Also, in SAHA (University’s decisions, minutes and statements, requires log in) you find all the language versions (FI-EN-SWE). In SAHA , use key words “Oppimisanalytiikan linjaus” or “Learning analytics policy” to search for the document

For information and development of policy, please contact

Jiri Lallimo, specialist [email protected]

Learning services, Programme management services