Learning Analytics: Learning to think and make decisions

Abstract

The research aims at a specific analysis of how learning analytics as a metacognitive tool can be used as a method by teachers as reflective professionals and how it can help teachers learn to think and come down to decisions about learning design and curriculum, learning and teaching process, and its success. Not only does it build on previous research results by interpreting the description of learning analytics as a metacognitive tool for teachers as reflective professionals, but also lays out new prospects for investigation into the process of learning analytics application in open and online learning and teaching. The research leads to the use of learning analytics data for the implementation of teacher inquiry cycle and reflections on open and online teaching, eventually aiming at an improvement of curriculum and learning design. The results of the research demonstrate how learning analytics method can support teachers as reflective professionals, to help understand different learning habits of their students, recognize learners’ behavior, assess their thinking capacities, willingness to engage in the course and, based on the information, make real time adjustments to their course curriculum.