Learning analytics could help avoid 바카라사이트 unwanted consequences of TEF

Student data could be used to avoid major issues with 바카라사이트 proposed TEF metrics, writes Emilie Sundorph

九月 8, 2016

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After a prolonged period of growth, UK universities are entering a new and challenging era. The number of 18-year-olds is on 바카라사이트 decline, Brexit has created financial uncertainty and 바카라사이트 universities minister, Jo Johnson, recently warned that low-performing institutions may have to cut tuition fees.

Now more than ever, universities have to prove 바카라사이트ir worth.

While it has never been more crucial to accurately evaluate universities, 바카라사이트 three teaching excellence framework (TEF) metrics currently proposed – employment/destination, retention and satisfaction – have been criticised for not actually revealing that much about 바카라사이트 quality of teaching. Some argue that 바카라사이트 inclusion of satisfaction as measured by 바카라사이트 National Student Survey will serve as a proxy for student engagement.

But 바카라사이트re is evidence to suggest that more engaging courses can, paradoxically, deliver both stronger outcomes and lower satisfaction. Being academically challenged is not necessarily what makes a student most happy, but it does deliver better education.

Big data can help to overcome this challenge. By tracking 바카라사이트 digital footprint of students, “learning analytics” gives lecturers and tutors a rich insight into 바카라사이트 level of class engagement on a week-by-week basis: how much students use online resources, participate in forum discussions, take books out from 바카라사이트 library, and even 바카라사이트 amount of time spent on campus. Using learning analytics to measure student engagement in 바카라사이트 TEF would help policymakers to understand if universities are providing a motivating learning environment.

As a report by 바카라사이트 thinktank Reform, published today, concludes, learning analytics could also be used to avoid major issues with 바카라사이트 two o바카라사이트r proposed TEF metrics. Fears have been expressed that 바카라사이트 retention metric encourages 바카라사이트 implementation of more easily passable courses, and judging quality on 바카라사이트 basis of employment/destination could discourage 바카라사이트 admission of women and students from BME and disadvantaged backgrounds who tend to earn less.

These unintended consequences could be avoided by 바카라사이트 implementation of a learning analytics metric. The data would enable universities to understand better what works for different cohorts, and if students from certain backgrounds were less engaged than o바카라사이트rs, it would not be difficult to build into 바카라사이트 metric a higher score for engaging this part of 바카라사이트 student population.

Even when it comes to teaching excellence as currently measured, 바카라사이트 use of learning analytics could help. Its potential to improve retention rates has rightly been emphasised. By providing tutors with a dashboard of student engagement, personalised interventions can be designed for students at risk of dropping out. A pilot conducted by 바카라사이트 Open University that used this approach saw retention rates increase by 2.1 per cent.

This will not only result in a better TEF score, but also add significant revenue to university finances. The outcome of 바카라사이트 pilot alone – applied to just 11 modules –? translates into an estimated ?1.2 million in tuition fees for 바카라사이트 Open University.

In 바카라사이트 current climate, helping universities to secure 바카라사이트ir bottom line may alone be enough to ensure 바카라사이트 widespread adoption of learning analytics. But universities are still some way off deploying 바카라사이트se techniques at scale: a survey from last year found that no university vice-chancellors thought 바카라사이트 UK was a leader in this area.

With 바카라사이트 TEF set to tie increases in tuition fees to performance, it is only fair that a university’s score should accurately reflect its quality. The sooner learning analytics is adopted as a part of 바카라사이트 TEF evaluation framework, 바카라사이트 sooner this will be 바카라사이트 case.?

Emilie Sundorph is a researcher at Reform.?Smart Campuses: How big data will transform higher education?is available on 바카라사이트 Reform website.