scholarly journals Perspectives from the stakeholder: Students’ views regarding learning analytics and data collection

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 72-88
Author(s):  
Deborah West ◽  
Ann Luzeckyj ◽  
Bill Searle ◽  
Danny Toohey ◽  
Jessica Vanderlelie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Student Data ◽  
Location Data ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
Professional Boundary ◽  
Data Location ◽  
Australian Universities

This article reports on a study exploring student perspectives on the collection and use of student data for learning analytics. With data collected via a mixed methods approach from 2,051 students across six Australian universities, it provides critical insights from students as a key stakeholder group. Findings indicate that while students are generally comfortable with the use of data to support their learning, they do have concerns particularly in relation to the use of demographic data, location data and data collected from wireless networks, social media and mobile applications. Two key themes emerged related to the need for transparency to support informed consent and personal-professional boundary being critical. This supports findings from other research, which reflects the need for a nuanced approach when providing information to students about the data we collect, including what we are collecting, why and how this is being used. Implications for practice or policy: When implementing the use of dashboards, institutions should ideally include opportunities for students to opt in and out, rather than being set so that students have agency over their data and learning. When undertaking work in relation to learning analytics, staff need to ensure the focus of their work relates to student learning rather than academic research. When institutions and academic staff collect and use student data (regardless of the purpose for doing so), all aspects of these processes need to be transparent to students.

A four-country cross-case analysis of academic staff expectations about learning analytics in higher education

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 100788
Author(s):  
Kaire Kollom ◽  
Kairit Tammets ◽  
Maren Scheffel ◽  
Yi-Shan Tsai ◽  
Ioana Jivet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Case Analysis ◽  
Cross Case Analysis

scholarly journals Clinical academic research in the time of Corona: a simulation study in England and a call for action

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amitava Banerjee ◽  
Michail Katsoulis ◽  
Alvina G. Lai ◽  
Laura Pasea ◽  
Thomas A. Treibel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Academic Staff ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
System Level ◽  
Clinical Activity ◽  
Infection Rates ◽  
Community Needs ◽  
Academic Workforce ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

AbstractBackgroundCoronavirus (COVID-19) poses health system challenges in every country. As with any public health emergency, a major component of the global response is timely, effective science. However, particular factors specific to COVID-19 must be overcome to ensure that research efforts are optimised. We aimed to model the impact of COVID-19 on the clinical academic response in the UK, and to provide recommendations for COVID-related research.MethodsWe constructed a simple stochastic model to determine clinical academic capacity in the UK in four policy approaches to COVID-19 with differing population infection rates: “Italy model” (6%), “mitigation” (10%), “relaxed mitigation” (40%) and “do-nothing” (80%) scenarios. The ability to conduct research in the COVID-19 climate is affected by the following key factors: (i) infection growth rate and population infection rate (from UK COVID-19 statistics and WHO); (ii) strain on the healthcare system (from published model); and (iii) availability of clinical academic staff with appropriate skillsets affected by frontline clinical activity and sickness (from UK statistics).FindingsIn “Italy model”, “mitigation”, “relaxed mitigation” and “do-nothing” scenarios, from 5 March 2020 the duration (days) and peak infection rates (%) are 95(2.4%), 115(2.5%), 240(5.3%) and 240(16.7%) respectively. Near complete attrition of academia (87% reduction, <400 clinical academics) occurs 35 days after pandemic start for 11, 34, 62, 76 days respectively – with no clinical academics at all for 37 days in the “do-nothing” scenario. Restoration of normal academic workforce (80% of normal capacity) takes 11,12, 30 and 26 weeks respectively.InterpretationPandemic COVID-19 crushes the science needed at system level. National policies mitigate, but the academic community needs to adapt. We highlight six key strategies: radical prioritisation (eg 3-4 research ideas per institution), deep resourcing, non-standard leadership (repurposing of key non-frontline teams), rationalisation (profoundly simple approaches), careful site selection (eg protected sites with large academic backup) and complete suspension of academic competition with collaborative approaches.

scholarly journals Learning Strategies for First-Year Biology: Toward Moving the “Murky Middle”

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. ar42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelique Kritzinger ◽  
Juan-Claude Lemmens ◽  
Marietjie Potgieter
Keyword(s):  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Student Attrition ◽  
First Year ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
Enabling Institutions ◽  
Academic Year

Higher education faces the challenge of high student attrition, which is especially disconcerting if associated with low participation rates, as is the case in South Africa. Recently, the use of learning analytics has increased, enabling institutions to make data-informed decisions to improve teaching, learning, and student success. Most of the literature thus far has focused on “at-risk” students. The aim of this paper is twofold: to use learning analytics to define a different group of students, termed the “murky middle” (MM), early enough in the academic year to provide scope for targeted interventions; and to describe the learning strategies of successful students to guide the design of interventions aimed at improving the prospects of success for all students, especially those of the MM. We found that it was possible to identify the MM using demographic data that are available at the start of the academic year. The students in the subgroup were cleanly defined by their grade 12 results for physical sciences. We were also able to describe the learning strategies that are associated with success in first-year biology. This information is useful for curricular design, classroom practice, and student advising and should be incorporated in professional development programs for lecturers and student advisors.

Here Be Dragons

Big Data ◽  
2016 ◽  
pp. 1717-1735
Author(s):  
Paul Prinsloo ◽  
Sharon Slade
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Student Engagement ◽  
New Deal ◽  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Student Experience ◽  
Open University ◽  
Student Responsibility ◽  
Student Data ◽  
General Data

Learning analytics is an emerging but rapidly growing field seen as offering unquestionable benefit to higher education institutions and students alike. Indeed, given its huge potential to transform the student experience, it could be argued that higher education has a duty to use learning analytics. In the flurry of excitement and eagerness to develop ever slicker predictive systems, few pause to consider whether the increasing use of student data also leads to increasing concerns. This chapter argues that the issue is not whether higher education should use student data, but under which conditions, for what purpose, for whose benefit, and in ways in which students may be actively involved. The authors explore issues including the constructs of general data and student data, and the scope for student responsibility in the collection, analysis and use of their data. An example of student engagement in practice reviews the policy created by the Open University in 2014. The chapter concludes with an exploration of general principles for a new deal on student data in learning analytics.

Do High Ranked Universities Have Better Graduate Employment Outcomes?

2017 ◽  
pp. 210-231
Author(s):  
Mahsood Shah ◽  
Hai Yen Vu ◽  
Winnie Eley
Keyword(s):  
Academic Staff ◽  
Employment Outcomes ◽  
Student Population ◽  
University Rankings ◽  
Graduate Employment ◽  
University Courses ◽  
Elite Universities ◽  
Student Demand ◽  
Employment Data ◽  
Australian Universities

University rankings are increasingly used as a measure of quality and reputation. Institutional leaders are increasingly using the outcomes of ranking in marketing of university courses. Both the critics of ranking and those who support have different viewpoints. Institutions that are ranked high celebrate their achievement however limited research is known on how outcomes of ranking are used to reward academic staff. Likewise some institutions that are not ranked enjoy ongoing student demand with increased diversity of student population, and comparable graduate outcomes. Some research suggests that students consider ranking to determine their choice, however others have ruled out. This chapter reviews the literature on both sides of the argument about ranking and it then presents the graduate employment data related to Australian universities to find out if elite universities have better graduate employment outcomes compared other universities.

Marketing education at the University of Melbourne

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-106
Author(s):  
Robert B. Ellis ◽  
David S. Waller
Keyword(s):  
Academic Staff ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Administrative Positions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Education ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Areas Of Interest ◽  
The University

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the early days of marketing education by observing the first “Marketing” subject in Australia, which was taught at the University of Melbourne, and comparing elements of the early subject to the introductory Marketing subject of today. Design/methodology/approach The information used for this study was obtained from material in the University of Melbourne Archives, including calendar entries, subject descriptions, and university announcements, as well as from interviews and correspondence with various people including those in academic and administrative positions, and former students. Findings The origins of university-level marketing education in Australia can be seen to have been shaped by several influences, including: the external environment of the country at that time; the areas of interest of academic staff; the availability of teaching material – textbooks, academic articles, appropriate case studies, academic research papers, etc.; the academic staff and teaching materials from the USA; and the extent to which the supporting technology of marketing had changed. Practical implications By observing the development in marketing education over the years, from its beginnings in Australia at the University of Melbourne, this paper shows changes in the content which assists in the understanding of what has led to how marketing is taught in Australasian universities and colleges today. Originality/value Marketing education research usually focusses on what is happening at the moment, so the value of this study is that it is one of the few that looks at marketing education from a historical perspective.

Educator Perspectives on Indigenous Cultural Content in an Occupational Therapy Curriculum

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Melchert ◽  
Marion Gray ◽  
Adrian Miller
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapy ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Aboriginal Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Regional University ◽  
Health Strategy ◽  
Indigenous Perspectives ◽  
Cultural Content ◽  
Australian Universities

Health professionals must understand Indigenous perspectives to deliver effective health services. This study set out to determine the amount, type and effectiveness of current Indigenous content in an occupational therapy curriculum at an Australian regional university and the progress in meeting the National Aboriginal Health Strategy (NAHS) minimum standards for Indigenous content for Australian Universities. Twenty-one academic staff teaching at an Australian University were surveyed with five follow-up interviews. Findings suggest that while educators saw the importance of Indigenous cultural content, they lacked confidence in delivering this content. The need for a strategic and planned approach to embedding Indigenous content throughout the curriculum was identified. Future research evaluating the effectiveness of cultural competency initiatives is suggested.

scholarly journals Looking over our shoulders: critical thinking and ontological insecurity in higher education

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Christine Jones
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Academic Identity ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Academic Role ◽  
Five Disciplines ◽  
The Face ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Australian Universities

This paper examines the changing landscape of higher education from the perspective of teaching academics. Critical thinking has been seen as one of the central facets of the academic identity and so this paper uses the notion of critical thinking as a lens through which to explore this changing identity. It argues that the professional identity of the academic is in a state of flux, which has caused uncertainty regarding the academic role, its freedoms and responsibilities. The particular focus here is on teaching and the changes occurring in this arena. The paper reports the findings of a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with academic staff across five disciplines from two Australian universities. In the modern university, the pressures of accountability to a range of stakeholders, both internal and external, are changing the face of university teaching.

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