On the Design of a Teachers’ Dashboard: Requirements and Insights

Abstract

The value that data has in the information society is undeniable. However data per se has limited significance, as it requires structure and it needs to be adequately conveyed to the user. Education is no exception to all the sectors currently harnessing the power of the data that stems from the interaction with their various stakeholders. Learning analytics can assist educators to understand how their students are learning, how successful they are at the accomplishment of certain tasks and to identify if they are at risk of failing. A fundamental part of learning analytics is visualisation, which is responsible for the communication of the data that is collected and becomes central in determining the teacher intervention in the learning process. In this paper the authors will present the results of semi-structured interviews that were conducted with lecturers at UNIV faculties and schools, in order to collect their insights regarding what aspects should be considered when design a teachers dashboard. Main requirements as well as major concerns are compiled and discussed. This is specifically useful to guide the future design of a teacher dashboard at UNIV and other universities.