Learning analytics for language learning and teaching

Abstract

If only we could know what our students were up to at any given moment in class. Who is paying attention, and who is falling asleep? Who understands the past perfect and who thinks it is about something wonderful that happened yesterday? And wouldn't it be great if we knew who is motivated and who is ready to drop out of the course? Language teachers perhaps struggle with these questions even more than teachers in other domains, because their students are not able to communicate their preferences and needs as well as l1 speakers. Learning analytics involves monitoring student engagement and comprehension and can be used as a way to identify potential problems early on in a course. In this short article I will describe what learning analytics is, how it can work in practice, as well as its potential benefits and drawbacks for language learning and teaching.