1. Learning Analytics: A new lens for
understanding learning and
teaching
George Siemens, PhD
University of Hong Kong
June 15, 2012

2. “The world is one big data problem”
Gilad Elbaz

3. August 5, 1949: Mann Gulch

4. December 2–3, 1984: Bhopal

5. April 14, 1994: Black Hawk Incident

6. Add:
terrorist attacks, Space Shuttle Columbia, 2008
financial crisis, etc, etc.

7. Progressive reliance on sensemaking in systems
rather than as individuals

8. Sensemaking
“Sensemaking is a motivated, continuous effort
to understand connections . . . in order to
anticipate their trajectories and act effectively”
(Klein et al. 2006)

9. We can’t understand how people make sense
without considering the system

11. 2008, financial
Mann Gulch
SS Columbia
9/11 Bhopal
7/7
Mumbai

12. 2008, financial
Mann Gulch
SS Columbia
9/11 Bhopal
7/7
Sensemaking, prediction,
& performance Mumbai
through analytics here

13. The problem is that our socio-technical systems
are becoming more technical and less social

14. To avoid getting lost in the “mass of inconsequential”
(Bush, 1945)
We still need control, but the points are different than
where the education system has assigned them in the
past.

15. How can centralized aims be achieved through
distributed means?

16. The current state of work & the internet is
antagonistic to existing practices in
organizations
Internet/mobiles/web fragments
Coherence is needed for action/performance

17. In response, systems have become more rule or
algorithmically based
Social systems don’t scale with information’s
abundance/complexity

18. Blurring the physical and virtual worlds

19. “Social data is set to be surpassed in the
data economy, though, by data published by
physical, real-world objects like sensors,
smart grids and connected devices.”
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/china_moves_to_dominate_the_next_stage_of_th
e_web_internet_of_things.php

20. Hence, analytics

21. http://online.wsj.com/article/
SB1000142405311190388560
4576486330882679982.html

22. Who is going to get sick?

23. Learning analytics is the measurement,
collection, analysis and reporting of data about
learners and their contexts, for purposes of
understanding and optimizing learning and the
environments in which it occurs

25. Anywhere/time data is produced in education
an analytics opportunity exists

26. Learner success
Use of university resources/services
At-risk learners (predictive capacity)
Help-seeking behavior
Alerts
Intervention
Learner dashboard
Path of concept development
Real-time analytics

27. http://www.skyrill.com/seatinghabits/

28. CCK08:
Introduction
forum
Limited
interaction.
Most are
isolated
http://www.snappvis.org/

29. Introduction forum posts:
CCK08
Dialogue limited:
Group too large?

30. http://chronicle.com/article/U-of-Texas-Adopts-Plan-to/128800

33. Half-ideas colliding to form new (innovative)
knowledge wholes:
Massive Open Online Courses

34. Creating: artifacts, stuff, remixing,
new assemblies, novel connectedness

35. Open online courses

36. Online Self-Organizing Social Systems (OSOSS)
“structure allows large numbers of individuals to
self-organize in a highly decentralized manner
in order to solve problems and accomplish other
goals.”
Wiley & Edwards 2003

38. Stigmergic/self-organizing social
systems

39. Synchronization

40. Personalization and adaptive learning
at a large scale

41. Analytics: rooted in
learning sciences

43. www.lakconference.org

44. Learning Analytics: Practitioners Workshop
Purdue: Oct 1-3, 2012
http://www.solaresearch.org/flare/

45. http://edfuture.net/
October 8-November 16, 2012

46. gsiemens @
gmail
Twitter
Skype
FB
Wherever
www.elearnspace.org
www.connectivism.ca
www.learninganalytics.net