(SpringerBriefs in Business Process Management) Learning Analytics Cookbook_ How to Support Learning Processes Through Data Analytics and Visualizatio

Chapter 6
Explore your Online Course: Visualization
of Resource Use and the Learning Process
Abstract Suppose you developed a blended learning concept, also known as
“flipped classroom”, where your students can access content and continue learning
at home, in addition to learning in a classroom. Now you just finished this course for
the first time using the Moodle platform, and you would like to revise how it went
and what aspects could still be improved. You are especially interested in when the
students learned, how often they learned, whether they used all the provided
resources, and how well they performed. This recipe offers an example how a
teacher can gain insights into students’ behavior in an online platform during the
course. Using a tool for visualizing learning activities assists teachers to get a better
overview of typical patterns in students’ learning and performance. This can help to
further improve the course content and your teaching methods.
Keywords LEMO2 CourseExplorer · Moodle course analytics · Visualization
6.1 Appetizer
Suppose you developed a blended learning concept (e.g., an inverted classroom) for
your course and used the Moodle platform to manage the course online in addition to
your regular offline/face-to-face class. Now you would like to see how the overall
course went so you can improve the course design. Did students adapt well to the
idea of a blended classroom? Did they use all the extra learning material you
provided? When did they learn the most? Did they prepare for the face-to-face
classes, or did they postpone active learning until the final examination? Were
some resources heavily used and some that were rarely used? Did students use the
quizzes you provided each week to check their knowledge level? Did students’
performance improve over the course period? Did students use the Moodle online
forum for collaboration or just as another source of information? These and more
questions may arise based on the design of the course.
The learning analytics dashboard “LEMO2 CourseExplorer” provides multiple
options for answering your questions and gives you an overview of how students
© The Author(s) 2020
R. Jaakonmäki et al., Learning Analytics Cookbook, SpringerBriefs in Business
Process Management, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43377-2_6
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