In education, measurable values end up being what we ultimately use to assess learning, outside of other valuable indicators. It’s just too easy to simply interpret data being measured by assigning it a numerical value.

The addition of technology into the educational world has impacted what instructors are able to track and measure. Learning analytics and data presented through technology helps instructors better assess actual student learning while also providing a platform to develop future education materials.

Tracking Students’ Online Footprints to Better Assess Learning

A recent trend in higher education is leveraging learning analytics and data collected from student actions online to determine how well they are learning. Digital traces in online learning environments can be tracked to see how well students are mastering material and what material they are interacting with. This is particularly valuable for instructors on platforms where a huge number of students are being reached and analyzed.

Once learning is assessed in this way, the information can be used to improve the development of future educational material. This allows administration, instructors, and developers to make better products for their current and future students.

Learning Analytics and Data Helps Students Take Control of Their Learning

Technology can also assist instructors by putting some of the responsibility for student learning outcomes solely in the lap of the students. Platforms and interactive teaching methods can be designed so that students receive feedback they can act instantly upon, showing them ways in which to improve their actions to facilitate a better learning outcome. Over time, students learn to be better learners and self-motivated in their learning.

Learning analytics and data is still a developing field in the world of digital education, but one that has a lot of promise. Solutions like the Echo360 Active Learning Platform offer instructors and administrators unprecedented access to data about their students and their activities, and that data can be used to further plan educational activities and materials.

Watch the video to learn how Case Western Reserve University is using analytics derived from Echo360 to map out instructional content and improve learning outcomes:

 


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