Learning Analytics Adventure
Embedded Files
Overview
Overview
Goal Alignment: Goal 3 - Find Effective Tools
Course: ETEC 543 - Understanding Learning Analytics
Assignment: Quantext Demo and Assessment
Opposing Forces: Theory and Application
GA_adventure.mp3Goal Alignment
Goal Alignment
My third goal was to develop a framework for researching and assessing effective digital learning tools that can assist with engagement, course pacing, and critical thinking, and while the assessment of this tool was not through the lens of the aforementioned outcomes, it is relevant to the core of this goal, which is to assess a learning tool and its impact on student learning. My ability and experience in assessing a tool, regardless of its application or the desired outcomes, aids me in moving toward achievement of this goal.
My experience with digital learning tools is highlighted here, as I show my ability to learn how to use a new tool and dig through its various features. This artifact also shows my experience in testing out these features in learning contexts and experimenting with them to see how they may or may not work in a variety of my own contexts.
I chose to include this artifact in my portfolio because it represents my ability to research and critique a learning tool. I believe a crucial element to achieving this goal is the willingness and ability to engage with unfamiliar tools and extract meaning from them.
Metaphor / Opposing Forces
Metaphor / Opposing Forces
This artifact connects to the overall metaphor of opposing forces because it explores the tension between Theory and Application. This tool does many things, but one must question whether the effort to use it would be worthwhile or if some of the features are unnecessary. For example, the added ability to assess students' exit cards to help a teacher better understand their class is great in theory, but one has to consider the additional work that is involved for the teacher to set this up. It is not clear that teachers would be able to use such a feature due to time constraints and competing interests. This is a recurring theme in educational technology, where some tools (which are meant to save time and improve teaching) end up consuming a lot of the teacher's time to the point where there is no net gain (often even a net loss). The balance to be found between the opposing forces of theory and application is one of usability, whereby the benefits come without too much effort or impact on teacher time.
metaphor_adventure.mp3
reflection_adventure.mp3Reflection
Reflection
This process was very time-consuming as I was working with a tool I was completely unfamiliar with. In addition to this, I had very little experience with text analysis when I completed this artifact. I started by reading the literature that Quantext had published and followed their tutorials very closely. I learned the most by simply playing with the tool and exploring. I started to pull data sets from the LMS at my own school and input them into Quantext. I experimented with a lot of different types of data until I found results that I could use practically. A large chunk of the data analysis I did had no real use or value in itself.
While I did not achieve my specific goal of assessing a learning tool related to the specific outcomes outlined in my goal, I chose to include this artifact because I feel it highlights my ability to assess a learning tool thoroughly to the point that I could apply a similar methodology to any other tool and with reference to whatever outcomes I choose i.e. engagement.
Future Steps
Future Steps
In the future, I will reassess Quantext through the lenses of engagement, pacing, and critical thinking. I only scratched the surface of this tool in this artifact, focusing only on its ability to perform grading tasks for teachers and analyse entry and exit cards. The knowledge I have gained in how text analysis works, alongside this particular tool, can be applied to areas of interest, such as those outlined in this goal.
future_adventure.mp3Page updated
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