Tracking Data in Open Learning Environments

Jose Luis Santos (KU Leuven, Belgium)

Katrien Verbert (KU Leuven, Belgium)

Joris Klerkx (KU Leuven, Belgium)

Erik Duval (KU Leuven, Belgium)

Sven Charleer (KU Leuven, Belgium)

Stefaan Ternier (Open University of the Netherlands, The Netherlands)

Abstract: The collection and management of learning traces, metadata about actions that students perform while they learn, is a core topic in the domain of Learning Analytics. In this paper, we present a simple architecture for collecting and managing learning traces. We describe requirements, different components of the architecture, and our experiences with the successful deployment of the architecture in two different case studies: a blended learning university course and an enquiry based learning secondary school course. The architecture relies on trackers, collecting agents that fetch data from external services, for flexibility and configurability. In addition, we discuss how our architecture meets the requirements of different learning environments, critical reflections and remarks on future work.

Keywords: learning analytics, learning record store, personal learning environments

Categories: H.3.5, L.3.0, L.3.6