How a Learning Analytics Dashboard Intervention Influences the Dynamics of Students’ Learning Behavior

Abstract

Interventions play a crucial role in completing the learning analytics cycle. However, there is limited research available on how students utilize these interventions or whether there is any change in their learning behaviors following the intervention. Existing studies primarily rely on students’ self-report perceptions, while neglecting the temporal aspect of the data in data-driven studies. This study examines the impact of a learning analytics intervention in the form of a learning analytics dashboard provided to students in a remote programming course on their learning behaviors. To achieve this goal, learning sessions before and after the introduction of the dashboard were identified using students’ learning traces in the learning management system. Subsequently, these learning sessions were analyzed using sequence analysis, process mining, and Bayesian Gaussian graphical models. Assignment submissions, formative quizzes, forum interactions, interactions with video materials, and participation in live classes were considered to determine students’ learning behaviors. The findings of the study indicate that there were changes in students’ learning behaviors after the introduction of the dashboard. Specifically, before the dashboard, learning sessions were mainly focused on assignments and quizzes, whereas after the dashboard, there was an increase in interactions with video materials. The results are also supported by the process mining analysis. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.