The Use of Learning Analytics in STEM over 4 years

Project leader(s): Tom OlneyCarlton Wood
Theme: Technologies for STEM learning
Faculty: STEM
Status: Current
Dates: May 2022 to January 2024

In 2017/2018 the research team completed an eSTEeM project that used a social informatics approach to explore the extent to which, and how, two learning analytics tools (OUA and SPM) were being used in STEM by tutors and presentation module teams. The findings led to recommendations about the use of these tools in STEM¹.

Through a series of semi-structured interviews proposed for 2022, this research study aims to follow-up with original participating academics and curriculum managers, or new teams now associated with original participating modules, to see how their practice has evolved in the particular circumstances and contexts of their working situations. The research team intends to employ the Theory of Practice Architectures² to investigate and evaluate the particular arrangements that constrain or enable learning analytics practice in STEM. With this information the research team hopes to develop effective support strategies for module teams as they engage, or not, with this growing field of teaching and learning.

This research project has been reviewed by, and received a favourable opinion, from The Open University Human Research Ethics Committee – HREC/4224/Olney

¹Olney, Walker, Wood & Clarke (2019) Piloting OUA and SPM on 12 STEM modules – eSTEeM executive summary (https://www.open.ac.uk/about/teaching-and-learning/esteem/sites/www.open.ac.uk.about.teaching-and-learning.esteem/files/files/2019-08-Carlton-Woo-Steve-Walker-Piloting%20OUA-final-report-executive-summary.pdf)

²Mahon, Kemmis, Francisco & Lloyd (2017) Introduction: Practice Theory and the Theory of Practice Architectures. In Exploring education and professional practice, pp 1-30. Springer, Singapore