Evaluating Students’ Interpretation of Feedback in Interactive Dashboards

Abstract

The increase in access to data about student behaviour and performance through their use of educational technology provides new possibilities for the provision of feedback to students. A popular way of structuring this feedback is in the form of a dashboard which encapsulates several data representations to assist students to evaluate and improve their learning. Yet, while there has been a significant growth in the development and implementation of dashboards across all levels of education, questions remain about the impact of this form of feedback delivery on students, especially in relation to their self-regulation and motivation. This chapter focuses on evaluating students’ interpretation of data made available to students through interactive dashboards. The chapter examines how this type of information is presented to students and the intended uses of interactive dashboards. The existing literature on score reporting is also considered to identify useful insights that can be used to inform the enhancement of student-facing dashboard design. Two case studies of dashboard use in higher education are presented, each profiling important design elements of educational dashboards and the methods of evaluation adopted. The chapter concludes with a discussion of key considerations for the design of interactive dashboards to optimise students’ interpretation.