What Constitutes an ‘Actionable Insight’ in Learning Analytics?

Abstract

The possibilities of Learning Analytics as a tool for empowering teachers and educators have created a steep interest in how to provide so-called actionable insights. However, the literature offers little in the way of defining or discussing what the term “actionable insight” means. This selective literature review provides a look into the use of the term in current literature. The review points to a dominant perspective in the literature that assumes the perspective of a rational actor, where actionable insights are treated as insights mined from data and subsequently acted upon. It also finds evidence of other perspectives and discusses the need for clarification of the term in order to establish a more precise and fruitful use of the term.