Learning is a multimodal process, and learning analytics (LA) researchers can readily access rich learning process data from multiple modalities, including audio-video recordings or transcripts of in-person interactions; logfiles and messages from online activities; and biometric measurements such as eye-tracking, movement, and galvanic skin…

This editorial introduces a special section of the "Journal of Learning Analytics," for which Neil Selwyn's keynote address to LAK '18 has been written up as an article, "What's the problem with learning analytics?" His claims and arguments are engaged in commentaries from Alfred Essa, Rebecca Ferguson, Paul Prinsloo, and…

The importance of temporality in learning has been long established, but it is only recently that serious attention has begun to be paid to the precise identification, measurement, and analysis of the temporal features of learning. From 2009 to 2016, a series of temporality workshops explored temporal concepts and data types, analysis methods for…

This article is a revised version of the keynote presented at LAK '16 in Edinburgh. The article investigates some of the assumptions of learning analytics, notably those related to behaviourism. Building on the work of Ivan Pavlov, Herbert Simon, and James Gibson as ways of "learning as a machine," the article then develops two levels of…

Learning analysts often consider whether learning processes across time are related (1) to one another or (2) to learning outcomes at higher levels. For example, are a group's temporal sequences of talk (e.g., correct evaluation [right arrow] correct, new idea) during its problem solving related to its group solution? I show how to address these…

Engineering design is a complex process both for students to participate in and for instructors to assess. Informed designers use the key strategy of conducting experiments as they test ideas to inform next steps. Conversely, beginning designers experiment less, often with confounding variables. These behaviours are not easy to assess in…

There is an increasing interest in developing learning analytic techniques for the analysis, and support of, high-quality learning discourse. This paper maps the terrain of discourse-centric learning analytics (DCLA), outlining the distinctive contribution of DCLA and outlining a definition for the field moving forwards. It is our claim that DCLA…

To keep pace with today's rapidly growing knowledge-driven society, productive self-regulation of one's learning processes are essential. We introduce and discuss a trace-based measurement protocol to measure the effects of scaffolding interventions on self-regulated learning (SRL) processes. It guides tracing of learners' actions in a learning…

According to research examining self-regulated learning (SRL), we regard individual regulation as a specific sequence of regulatory activities. Ideally, students perform various learning activities, such as analyzing, monitoring, and evaluating cognitive and motivational aspects during learning. Metacognitive prompts can foster SRL by inducing…

This paper introduces the scientometric method of main path analysis and its application in an exemplary study of the paths of knowledge development and the roles of contributors in Wikiversity. Data from two scientific domains in this online learning community has been used. We see this as a step forward in adapting and adopting network analysis…

It is well established that a student's capacity to regulate his or her own learning is a key determinant of academic success, suggesting that interventions targeting improvements in self-regulation will have a positive impact on academic performance. However, to evaluate the success of such interventions, the self-regulatory characteristics of…

Increasing college participation rates, and diversity in student population, is posing a challenge to colleges in their attempts to facilitate learners achieve their full academic potential. Learning analytics is an evolving discipline with capability for educational data analysis that could enable better understanding of learning process, and…