Developing Teaching Practices through the Utilization of Learning Analytics
Abstract: Learning analytics is an object of growing interest across the HE organizations. While it holds the potential to foster more adaptive teaching and learning practices, it requires careful consideration of pedagogical aspects and approaches driving the development. Teachers play a key role in generating ideas on how to use learning analytics tools in a pedagogically meaningful way. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative case study by describing the teaching professionals’ views of pedagogical development needs and the possibilities of learning analytics in the different phases of an online course implementation. The study results indicate that there is a clear need for utilizing learning analytics as a tool to enhance student participation and competence development, as well as to build adaptive learning environments and guidance methods in current educational settings. There are also drivers for development of learning analytics related to the planning of studies, enhancing competence development, monitoring the learning progress, mapping know-how and widening knowledge base as well as facilitating collaboration, self-regulation and continuous learning. It can be stated that the utilization of learning analytics should always rest on pedagogical approaches; it cannot be a technology-driven way of just experimenting with new methods and tools.