A review of ten years of implementation and research in aligning learning design with learning analytics at the Open University UK

Abstract

There is an increased recognition that learning design drives both student learning experience and quality enhancements of teaching and learning. The Open University UK (OU) has been one of few institutions that have explicitly and systematically captured the designs for learning at a large scale. By applying advanced analytical techniques on large and fine-grained datasets, the OU has been unpacking the complexity of instructional practices, as well as providing conceptual and empirical evidence of how learning design influences student behaviour, satisfaction, and performance. This study discusses the implementation of learning design at the OU in the last ten years, and critically reviews empirical evidence from eight recent large-scale studies that have linked learning design with learning analytics. Four future research themes are identified to support future adoptions of learning design approaches.

Changes in online course designs: Before, during, and after the pandemic

“…Moreover, the analysis was complemented by data from a survey measuring student satisfaction, learning performance data, academic retention, and institutional analytics data, such as course level, discipline, class size. Rienties et al (2017) reviewed 10 years of work on aligning learning design with learning analytics at the Open University UK, and found that in some of their studies revealed that "learning design decisions made by OU teachers seem to have a direct and indirect impact on how students are working online and offline, which in part also influenced their satisfaction and learning outcomes"(p. 147) and that "how teachers mix learning design activities substantially impacts what students do on a weekly basis, whereby between 40-69% of variance of VLE engagement is predicted by learning design and its module characteristics" (p. 147).…”

Standing on the shoulders of giants: Online formative assessments as the foundation for predictive learning analytics models

“…For example, data extracted, visualized, and analysed by educational researchers and practitioners through LMS dashboards can help them design interventions and personalized learning opportunities (Blumenstein, 2020; Larusson & White, 2014). Learning design refers to an instructional plan that facilitates making pedagogically‐informed decisions about activities and resources optimizing learning in a learning environment (Blumenstein, 2020; Gašević et al, 2016; Mangaroska & Giannakos, 2019; Rienties et al, 2017). Essentially, learning design considers context, analytics, practice, and pedagogical theories to address challenges in improving educational processes (Mangaroska & Giannakos, 2019; Mor & Craft, 2012).…”

“…Once a suitable theoretical approach is identified, the next step is constructing a learning design that translates theory and pedagogic strategies into practice. Previous research showed that the learning design elements (e.g., resources, types of learning activities, and assessment tools) could directly affect the quality, quantity, and usability of data on student learning (Gašević et al, 2015; Lockyer et al, 2013; Rienties et al, 2017). Also, the learning design plays a significant role in the interpretability of the LMS data in relation to student performance (Rogers et al, 2016).…”

Learning Analytics in Open, Distance, and Digital Education (ODDE)

“…LA analytics allows teachers to provide feedback to students on what students do and the progress they make. Rienties et al (2017) state that while there has been claims that learning design impacts on the effectiveness of learning and teaching, LA provides the opportunity to provide evidence of such impact. LA at the OU is based on an institutionally approved learning design taxonomy consisting of a number of learning design activities namely (1) assimilative; (2) finding and handling information; (3) communication; (4) productive;…”