Browsing by Author "Whitelock Wainwright, Alexander"

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Identifying needs for learning analytics adoption in Latin American universities: a mixed-methods approach
(2020) Hilleger, Isabel; Ortiz Rojas, Margarita Elizabeth; Pesantez Cabrera, Paola Karina; Scheihing, Eliana; Tsai, Yi Shan; Muñoz Merino, Pedro; Broos, Tom; Whitelock Wainwright, Alexander; Pérez Sanagustín, Mar
Learning Analytics (LA) is perceived to be a promising strategy to tackle persisting educational challenges in Latin America, such as quality disparities and high dropout rates. However, Latin American universities have fallen behind in LA adoption compared to institutions in other regions. To understand stakeholders' needs for LA services, this study used mixed methods to collect data in four Latin American Universities. Qualitative data was obtained from 37 interviews with managers and 16 focus groups with 51 teaching staff and 45 students, whereas quantitative data was obtained from surveys answered by 1884 students and 368 teaching staff. According to the triangulation of both types of evidence, we found that (1) students need quality feedback and timely support, (2) teaching staff need timely alerts and meaningful performance evaluations, and (3) managers need quality information to implement support interventions. Thus, LA offers an opportunity to integrate data-driven decision-making in existing tasks. © 2020 Elsevier Inc.
Towards learning analytics adoption: A mixed methods study of data-related practices and policies in Latin American universities
(2020) Hilliger, Isabel; Ortiz Rojas, Margarita Elizabeth; Pesantez Cabrera, Paola Gabriela; Scheihing, Eliana; Tsai, Yi Shan; Muñoz Merino, Pedro J.; Broos, Tom; Whitelock Wainwright, Alexander; Gasevic, Dragan; Pérez Sanagustín, Mar
In Latin American universities, Learning Analytics (LA) has been perceived as a promising opportunity to leverage data to meet the needs of a diverse student cohort. Although universities have been collecting educational data for years, the adoption of LA in this region is still limited due to the lack of expertise and policies for processing and using educational data. In order to get a better picture of how existing data‐related practices and policies might affect the incorporation of LA in Latin American institutions, we conducted a mixed methods study in four Latin American universities (two Chilean and two Ecuadorian). In this paper, the qualitative data were based on 37 interviews with managers and 16 focus groups with 51 teaching staff and 45 students; the quantitative data were collected through two surveys answered by 1884 students and 368 teachers, respectively. The findings reveal opportunities to incorporate LA services into existing data practices in the four case studies. However, the lack of reliable information systems and policies to regulate the use of data imposes challenges that need to be overcome for future LA adoption.