Learning Analytics for monitoring and analyzing student’s careers at University

Abstract

After a preliminary analysis on the concept of Leaning Analytics and its necessary interconnections
with Big Data and Business Intelligence in the academic field, the paper
presents the first steps of a pilot project at the University of Parma. The pilot project,
being tested, is aimed at using Learning Analytics in order to lead to informed and strategic
choices regarding: 1) an enhancement of guidance actions in itinere more calibrated
on the type of problematic and not distributed "in the rain" ; 2) the possible redesign of
the study plans of the CdS subject to analysis and the planning of possible preparatory
courses between courses; 3) the early identification of “complex / problematic” courses)
the design of specific teacher training seminars on teaching and docimological skills,
starting from real data on student careers and contextualised by disciplinary sectors.
The contribution is given as an example the “screens” of a DEMO that is under construction
and experimentation at the CdS of Informatica UNIPR and which is considered as
an example for the impact in terms of usability of the information for different types of
stakeholders. The work ends by emphasizing the possible effects of pedagogical research
on LA, in the view of consolidation of the self-assessment and improvement
processes of Italian universities.