Towards fine-grained reading dashboards for online course revision

Abstract

Providing high-quality courses is of utmost importance to drive successful learning. This compels course authors to continuously review their contents to meet learners' needs. However, it is challenging for them to detect the reading barriers that learners face with content, and to identify how their courses can be improved accordingly. In this paper, we propose a learning analytics approach for assisting course authors performing these tasks. Using logs of learners' activity, a set of indicators related to course reading activity are computed and used to detect issues and to suggest content revisions. The results are presented to authors through CoReaDa, a learning dashboard empowered with assistive features. We instantiate our proposals using the logs of a major European e-learning platform, and validate them through a study. Study results show the effectiveness of our approach providing authors with more awareness and guidance in improving their courses, to better suit learners' requirements.

The Impact of Dashboard Feedback Type on Learning Effectiveness, Focusing on Learner Differences

“…Those dashboards that provide prescriptive analytics are designed to combine the results of descriptive and predictive analytics to offer suggestions on the best teaching and learning actions for instructors and students to take. Examples include behavioral recommendations for groups in the collaborative learning process in relation to the emotional state and discussion content [21,22], and the generation of suggestions for corrective revision actions based on learners' reading behavior [23]. Some dashboards provide multiple types of feedback simultaneously, such as comparative and predictive analysis in support of the academic advisor's decision-making process [19], or provide students with class-comparative descriptive components as well as the student's predicted final grade [24].…”

Enhancing Course Revision: Introducing CoReaDa - an Advanced Reading Analytics Dashboard

“…This study, described in [58] and conducted from April 5th to April 11th, 2017, aimed to evaluate the dashboard interface in terms of usability and acceptance. The authors first received their personal credentials for accessing the tool running on their courses.…”

Fostering Collaborative and Creative Design of Learning Dashboards: An Empowered Participatory Approach and Tools

“…Extensive research has demonstrated that well-designed learning analytics dashboards have the potential to significantly enhance the effectiveness of learning experiences by providing valuable insights and support to both learners and instructors. These dashboards serve as powerful tools for sustaining learning, identifying areas for improvement [Sadallah et al, 2020], and making informed decisions. Additionally, instructors can utilize the data and visualizations provided by these dashboards to compute meaningful reading and behavioral indicators [Sadallah et al, 2015].…”