Toward an open learning analytics ecosystem

Abstract

In the last few years, there has been a growing interest in learning analytics (LA) in technology-enhanced learning (TEL). LA approaches share a movement from data to analysis to action to learning. The TEL landscape is changing. Learning is increasingly happening in open and networked learning environments, characterized by increasing complexity and fast-paced change. This should be reflected in the conceptualization and development of innovative LA approaches in order to achieve more effective learning experiences. There is a need to provide understanding into how learners learn in these environments and how learners, educators, institutions, and researchers can best support this process. In this chapter, we discuss open learning analytics as an emerging research field that has the potential to deal with the challenges in open and networked environments and present key conceptual and technical ideas toward an open learning analytics ecosystem.