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Academic research in the past decade has indicated that using data and analyzing learning in curriculum design decisions can lead to improved student performance and student success. As learning in many instances has evolved into the flexible format online, anywhere at any time, learning analytics could potentially provide impactful insights into student engagement in massive open online courses (MOOCs). These may contribute to early identification of “at risk” participants and provide MOOC facilitators, educators, and learning designers with insights on how to provide effective interventions to ensure participants meet the course learning outcomes and encourage retention and completion of a MOOC. This chapter uses the essential human biology MOOC within the Australian AdelaideX initiative to implement learning analytics to investigate and compare demographics of participants, patterns of navigation including participation and engagement for passers and non-passers in two iterations of the MOOC, one instructor-led, and second self-paced.

This case study describes the use of learning analytics to evaluate the transition of a postgraduate wine business course from face-to-face to online delivery using e-learning course design principles. Traditionally, Foundations of Wine Science lectures were delivered face-to-face, however the decision to transition the course from semester to trimester format presented an opportunity for online delivery of lectures. This was initially achieved through audio recordings, then video lectures, supported by a range of digital learning resources intended to engage, support and enhance student learning and the student experience. Descriptive analysis of learning analytics, comprising assessment results, student evaluations of learning and teaching, and data sourced from the Learning Management System, was performed to evaluate the impact of online delivery of course content on student performance, satisfaction and engagement. The use of audio lecture recordings negatively impacted students’ perception of the overall quality of the course (including course organisation, learning strategies and learning resources). The subsequent implementation of e-learning designed video lectures was considered superior to audio recordings, albeit final grades were not significantly different between the delivery modes. However, student engagement was equal to, or better than face-to-face delivery, when content was designed specifically for an e-learning environment.