Learning Theory and Learning Analytics

This week I would like to share [what I perceive as] an interesting article connecting learning theories with learning analytics. I have often shared articles on learning theories and was excited to see this recent article aligning theories with specific analytics. The article is entitled, “Pedagogical Design: Bridging Learning Theory and Learning Analytics” by Banihashem and Macfadye (2021).

In this article, the authors discuss which learning analytics (LA) approach might be the best choice for your teaching and learning context. They define LA as an application that seeks to collect, analyze, report, and interpret educational data with the goal of Improving teaching and learning. They argue that “careful consideration of the learning theory underpinning the pragmatics of pedagogical design choices should guide LA implementation, and help educators avoid the risk of gathering data on, and measuring outcomes for, activities that are not relevant to their pedagogical goals.”

The authors structure the paper by sharing well known learning theories and the approaches to design for learning that have emerged from each perspective:

1. Instructional Design, Objectivist Learning Theories and Behaviourist Learning Analytics

2. Learning Design, Subjectivism and Constructivist Learning Analytics

3. Learning Ecosystem Design, Connectivism and Connectivist Learning Analytics

   1. Siemens (2005) states that connectivism asserts that:

      1. Learning and knowledge rest in a diversity of opinions.

      2. Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes.

      3. Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known.

      4. Nurturing and maintenance of connections is needed to facilitate learning.

      5. Ability to see connections between fields, ideas and concepts is a core skill.

      6. Currency is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.

The authors summarize their findings in an example, “if we have espoused a constructivist learning design underpinned by a commitment to social negotiation of meaning, then a behaviourist LA application designed to monitor task completion will be unlikely to offer meaningful understanding of how our learning design is influencing learning”.

References

Banihashem, S. K. & Macfadye, L. (2021). Pedagogical Design: Bridging Learning Theory and Learning Analytics [Conception pédagogique: Rapprocher la théorie de l'apprentissage et l'analyse de l'apprentissage.], Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 4(7).

Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1), 3-10.