New Pub: How well does teacher education prepare for teaching with technology?

New Pub: How well does teacher education prepare for teaching with technology?

Competence development, Digitalisation, Empirical Study, Higher Education, Journal, Open access, Publication
Despite large-scale investments into the technological infrastructure of K-12 education, research has repeatedly shown that many teachers lack the expertise to effectively incorporate technology into classroom teaching. To support teachers in this, there is a need to understand how and when the relevant knowledge develops during teacher training. To this end, Joshua Weidlich and Marco Kalz conducted a study at Heidelberg University of Education, sampling prospective teachers (N = 526) and analyzing their self-reported technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) across the seven dimensions of the framework. Specifically, they assessed (1) the extent to which students more advanced in their studies reported higher TPACK, (2) the effect of gender on these trajectories, and (3) the potential role of curricular cornerstones of the teacher education program. Regarding (1), they found that not…
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Book Chapter – A Trusted Learning Analytics Dashboard for Displaying OER

Book Chapter – A Trusted Learning Analytics Dashboard for Displaying OER

Book, Book chapter, Learning Analytics, Open access, Project, Report
Abstract Learning Analytics (LA) consists of miscellaneous steps that include data harvesting, storing, cleaning, anonymisation, mining, analysis, and visualisation so that the vast amount of educational data is comprehensible and ethically utilisable by educators or instructors to obtain the advantages and benefits that LA can bring to the educational scene. These include the potential to increase learning experiences and reduce dropout rates. In this chapter, we shed light on OER repositories, LA, and LA dashboards and present an implementation of a research-driven LA dashboard for displaying OER and their repositories that allows the visualisation of educational data in an understandable way for both educators and learners. Moreover, we present an LA dashboard for displaying OER that shows information about the existing German OER repositories as part of our EduArc project…
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New Pub: Causal Inference and Bias in Learning Analytics

New Pub: Causal Inference and Bias in Learning Analytics

Journal, Learning Analytics, Literature review, Open access, Publication, Research Methods
Learning Analytics is an applied field of research with the goal of producing actionable knowledge to improve student learning. This requires knowledge about cause-and-effect. However, randomized experiments, the usual vehicle for causality, are not always feasible nor desirable. Researchers are then left with observational data, from which they are, understandably, hesitant to draw causal inferences. Fortunately, there has been a lot of progress on the topic of causality in the last two decades. One prominent framework uses Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) to graphically reason about cause-and-effect and/or bias. This primer, authored by Joshua Weidlich, Dragan Gasevic, and Hendrik Drachsler, published in the Journal of Learning Analytics, introduces DAGs to Learning Analytics.  Using fictitious and published examples, we show how DAGs are a principled approach to a) improve causal inferences for…
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Presentation: Atezaz participated in the ICDLE conference and presented a new publication

Presentation: Atezaz participated in the ICDLE conference and presented a new publication

Artificial Intelligence, Conference, Conference, Feedback, Further Education, Learning Analytics, Lifelong Learning, Open access, Publication, Self-Regulation
Our paper titled "Caught in the Lifelong Learning Maze: Helping People with Learning Analytics and Chatbots to Find Personal Career Paths" was accepted at the 13th International Conference on Distance Learning and Education (ICDLE 2022) held at the University of Barcelona, Spain. Atezaz Ahmad participated in the conference and presented their publication. The article will be published (open access) in the International Journal of Information and Education Technology. Abstract: Current lifelong learning platforms offer users a query option to select a wide variety of courses. However, finding a suitable course among the seemingly endless catalogs of options presented by the platforms is not straightforward. We argue that digital counseling can enhance this process. In this paper, we present a set of three formative studies where we explored the main aspects…
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New pub: The Rise of Multimodal Tutors in Education

New pub: The Rise of Multimodal Tutors in Education

Artificial Intelligence, Book chapter, Further Education, Higher Education, Multimodal Learning Analytics, Open access, Publication
A book chapter entitled "The Rise of Multimodal Tutors in Education" written by Daniele Di Mitri, Jan Schneider & Hendrik Drachsler was published open access in the "Handbook of Open, Distance and Digital Education" edited by Olaf Zawacki-Richter and Insung Jung. Abstract This chapter describes the insights derived from the design and development of the Multimodal Tutor, a system that uses artificial intelligence to provide digital feedback and support psychomotor skills acquisition. In this chapter, we discuss the insights which we gained from eight studies: (1) an exploratory study combining physiological data and learning performance (Learning Pulse); (2) a literature survey on multimodal data for learning and a conceptual model (the Multimodal Learning Analytics Model); (3) an analysis of the technical challenges of Multimodal Learning Analytics (the Big Five Challenges);…
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New Pub: FoLA2 — A Method for Co-creating Learning Analytics–Supported Learning Design

New Pub: FoLA2 — A Method for Co-creating Learning Analytics–Supported Learning Design

Further Education, General education, Higher Education, Journal, Learning Analytics, Learning Design, Open access, Publication, School
Finally, we have published an article about the FOLA2 method that we have used for over two years frequently to design Learning Analytics supported Learning Designs with teachers of various backgrounds. Learning activities are at the core of every educational design effort. Designing learning activities is a process that benefits from reflecting on previous runs of those activities. One way to measure the behaviour and effects of design choices is to use learning analytics (LA). The challenge, however, lies in the unavailability of an easy-to-use, LA-supported learning design (LD) method. We established a method—the Fellowship of Learning Activities and Analytics (FoLA2)—reinforced by a gameboard and cards to provide structure and inspiration. The method enables several participants with different roles to interact with a set of card decks to create an…
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New Pub: Toward learning progression analytics — Developing learning environments for the automated analysis of learning using evidence-centred design

New Pub: Toward learning progression analytics — Developing learning environments for the automated analysis of learning using evidence-centred design

Computational Psychometrics, Journal, Learning Analytics, Learning Design, Open access, Project, Publication, School
[caption id="attachment_4319" align="alignright" width="450"] A procedure for developing digital learning environments that allow for the automated assessment of learning.[/caption] National educational standards stress the importance of science and mathematics learning for today’s students. However, across disciplines, students frequently struggle to meet learning goals about core concepts like energy. Digital learning environments enhanced with artificial intelligence hold the promise to address this issue by providing individualized instruction and support for students at scale. Scaffolding and feedback, for example, are both most effective when tailored to students’ needs. Providing individualized instruction requires continuous assessment of students’ individual knowledge, abilities, and skills in a way that is meaningful for providing tailored support and planning further instruction. While continuously assessing individual students’ science and mathematics learning is challenging, intelligent tutoring systems show that it…
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New Pub: Gendered differences versus doing gender: a systematic review on the role of gender in CSCL

New Pub: Gendered differences versus doing gender: a systematic review on the role of gender in CSCL

Gender, Higher Education, Journal, Literature review, Meta-study, Open access, Publication, Special Issue, Team
How has CSCL research been treating the topic of Gender? Our systematic review on this topic is now published in Unterrichtswissenschaft and available online here. Gender equity in education is an essential UN sustainable development goal. However, it is unclear what aspects of gender are important to consider in regard to research outcomes as well as how findings can be interpreted in the context of gender stereotypes and bias. This lack of clarity is particularly salient in the STEM field. Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is a group learning method where learners work together on group tasks that aim at the sharing and co-construction of knowledge. Aside from the cognitive learning gains, the literature reports that CSCL can bring social and psychological benefits, such as fostering positive mutual relationships and increased understanding of equity and…
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New Pub: Connecting the dots – A literature review on learning analytics indicators from a learning design perspective

New Pub: Connecting the dots – A literature review on learning analytics indicators from a learning design perspective

Empirical Study, Higher Education, Journal, Learning Analytics, Learning Design, Lifelong Learning, Literature review, Open access, Publication, Self-Regulation, Special Issue, Target group
[caption id="attachment_4329" align="alignright" width="450"] Occurrences of the most commonly used learning analytic indicators over the past 10 years[/caption] Background: During the past decade, the increasingly heterogeneous field of learning analytics has been critiqued for an over-emphasis on data-driven approaches at the expense of paying attention to learning designs. Method and objective: In response to this critique, we investigated the role of learning design in learning analytics through a systematic literature review. 161 learning analytics (LA) articles were examined to identify indicators that were based on learning design events and their associated metrics. Through this research, we address two objectives. First, to achieve a better alignment between learning design and learning analytics by proposing a reference framework, where we present possible connections between learning analytics and learning design. Second, to present how…
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Transfer Workshop @ Digitaltag 2022 on highly informative and data-driven feedback with AI in higher education

Transfer Workshop @ Digitaltag 2022 on highly informative and data-driven feedback with AI in higher education

Artificial Intelligence, Conference, Event, Higher Education, Learning Analytics, Open access, School, Transfer Activity, Webinar, Workshop
The third Digitaltag will take place on June 24, 2022. The initiative "Digital for All" is behind the Digitaltag. The alliance of more than 25 organizations from the fields of civil society, culture, science, business, welfare and the public sector unites a common goal: to promote digital participation in Germany. Prof. Dr. Hendrik Drachsler contributes a talk on highly informative and data-driven feedback with AI in higher education. Feedback is a powerful element of all learning processes. However, it is difficult to offer highly informative feedback to large groups of learners. The Educational Technology Collective at Goethe University and the DIPF Leibniz Institute Frankfurt am Main are conducting research on this challenge in a variety of projects. In this talk, Professor Dr. Drachsler will present on designing highly informative feedback…
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