What happens when Highly-Informative Learning Analytics (HILA) goes to school? That’s exactly what Hendrik Drachsler explored during his keynote at the 3rd International Symposium on Digital Transformation (ISDT24) in Linnaeus University Växjö, Sweden. His talk highlighted the impact of the AFLEK project, a transformative initiative under the HILA research program, which focuses on improving learning outcomes in secondary schools through actionable data and AI-driven tools.
The keynote wasn’t just about theoretical advances; it presented real-world applications that are actively shaping how secondary education functions today. Through three key publications, Drachsler demonstrated how the integration of Data-Enriched Learning Activities (DeLA), teacher dashboards, and empirical research has paved the way for improved teaching practices and measurable student success. Let’s dive into what happens when HILA meets the classroom.
Key Highlights from Hendrik Drachsler’s ISDT24 Keynote
In his keynote at ISDT24, Drachsler highlighted three central papers (among many others great papers) that capture the essence of the AFLEK project’s contributions to secondary education. These papers demonstrate how Learning Analytics and Artificial Intelligence can be applied to benefit both teachers and students, emphasizing not just the tools but also their tangible impact.
1. Writing DeLA (Data-Enriched Learning Activities): Elevating Student Writing
One of the AFLEK project’s cornerstone contributions is the development of Writing DeLA, which uses data-enriched activities to support and track student writing progress. This tool is tailored to provide both students and teachers with real-time feedback on writing tasks, enabling more personalized instruction.
By embedding natural language processing (NLP) techniques, Writing DeLA analyzes students’ constructed responses, generating data that teachers can use to:
- Identify patterns in students’ writing.
- Tailor feedback to individual student needs.
- Create more effective lesson plans based on data-driven insights.
The Writing DeLA approach is particularly impactful because it doesn’t just help students improve their writing skills—it also helps teachers understand where students struggle, making their feedback more targeted and actionable.
For more details, check out the paper:
Gombert, S., Di Mitri, D., Karademir, O., Kubsch, M., Kolbe, H., Tautz, S., Grimm, A., Bohm, I., Neumann, K., & Drachsler, H. (2022). Coding energy knowledge in constructed responses with explainable NLP models. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12767
2. Actionable Dashboards: Co-Designing with Teachers
Another major outcome from the AFLEK project is the development of teacher dashboards, designed through a co-design process with educators. These dashboards are more than just data visualizations—they’re actionable tools that teachers can use to monitor student performance and provide feedback in real-time.
Drachsler emphasized that the co-design process was critical in ensuring that the dashboards meet the practical needs of teachers. Through design-based research, the dashboards were crafted to support teachers’ workflows and provide insights that are immediately usable.
These dashboards help teachers:
- Identify struggling students based on analytics.
- Send personalized feedback to students on their progress.
- Adjust teaching methods based on the data gathered from the dashboards.
The collaboration between educators and researchers resulted in a system that aligns with real-world classroom needs, offering an intuitive interface that integrates seamlessly into teachers’ day-to-day activities.
Read more about the co-design process in the paper:
Karademir, O., Di Mitri, D., Schneider, J., Jivet, I., Allmang, J., Gombert, S., Kubsch, M., Neumann, K., Drachsler, H. (2024). I don’t have time! But keep me in the loop: Co-designing requirements for a learning analytics cockpit with teachers. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12997
3. Empirical Intervention Study: Proving the Dashboard’s Impact on Learning
Perhaps the most exciting result from the AFLEK project is the empirical intervention study, which tested the effectiveness of the AI-powered teacher dashboard in real secondary school environments. The study involved 16 teachers, 22 classrooms, and over 400 students. The goal was to compare student outcomes in classrooms where teachers used the dashboard with those where the dashboard wasn’t available.
- Teachers who used the dashboard were better able to identify students in need of help and provide effective feedback.
- Analysis of 355 feedback messages revealed that teachers predominantly provided process-oriented feedback, which has been shown to be particularly effective for student learning.
- Most importantly, students in classrooms where the dashboard was used showed significantly higher knowledge gains compared to the control group.
This study highlights the potential of AI-driven tools to support not just teachers but also the students who rely on timely, actionable feedback for their academic growth.
You can explore the full study here:
Karademir, O., Borgards, L., Di Mitri, D., Strauß, S., Kubsch, M., Brobeil, M., Grimm, A., Gombert, S., Rummel, N., Neumann, K., & Drachsler, H. (2024). Following the Impact Chain of the LA Cockpit: An Intervention Study Investigating a Teacher Dashboard’s Effect on Student Learning. Journal of Learning Analytics, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.18608/jla.2024.8399
What Makes the AFLEK Project So Special?
The AFLEK project is unique because it doesn’t just focus on the technical aspects of Learning Analytics—it goes beyond that to examine how these tools impact real classrooms. By combining design-based research with empirical studies, the project provides a holistic look at how teachers and students interact with Learning Analytics tools like dashboards and DeLA systems.
Furthermore, the success of the project is largely attributed to the collaboration between researchers and educators, particularly the partnership between the DIPF Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education, IPN – Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, and the Ruhr-Universität Bochum – Pädagogische Psychologie und Bildungstechnologie This collaboration allowed the tools to be designed and implemented in a way that fits seamlessly into the realities of school life.
Slides are here:
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