Using Data to Support Student Learning

Overview

There is a growing awareness across international higher education of the value of using learner data as a resource for supporting effective teaching and learning. When used legally, ethically and effectively, this data can help staff who teach to identify students that may be likely to underperform, students that may need further guidance and give richer insights into how well students understand and are engaging with the subject matter of their modules. This badge aims to help staff who teach to answer the question ‘I know that my institution has all this data, but what can I do with it?’

Arising from the National Forum’s Data-Enabled Student Success Initiative (DESSI), this course will guide participants through some of the key resources in ORLA, the Forum’s Online Resource for Learning Analytics. These resources draw on Irish and international expertise to show good practice that can unearth the power of data as a teaching resource. The course covers a wide variety of areas including developing principles and practices, data protection, designing effective interventions and accessing useful data from institutional VLEs. It will also introduce participants to 16 case studies of how other staff who teach are effectively employing data in their teaching practice.

• Demonstrate a good understanding of the challenges and opportunities of including student data in their teaching practice
• Demonstrate a familiarity with the lecturer-facing resources in ORLA (The National Forum’s open-access online library)
• Explore the potential applications of data in their own teaching
• Develop their familiarity with some of the reporting features in their institution’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).