I’m excited and optimistic about how data analysis can be used in education. Learning Analytics (LA) can be more than just summarizing clickstream data or test scores. Some tools have the potential to find gaps in understanding or support teachers in providing timely and personalized feedback to students. In my LA explorations, I examined two such tools:
Quantext
Quantext is a text analysis tool made for non-analysts to examine any written responses. It can be super helpful to show keywords or common themes in large writing samples.
CLARA
CLARA is a unique analytic tool in that it focuses on generating a profile of a person’s capability to learn or “learning power.” Its intention is to empower them to grow in their sense of agency and resiliency through timely feedback and self-reflection.
In the process of exploring CLARA, I used Scheffel’s (2014) EFLA’s framework to guide my evaluation because it provided a clear and detailed structure of considerations.
The reason why using a framework is helpful for assessing a learning analytical tool is because it ensures that the people and the context are taken into consideration. The most important thing to remember about using any analytical tool is that you cannot replace the human factor. From his book AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley and the New World Order, Kai-Fu Lee states,
“AI will do the analytical thinking, while humans will wrap that analysis in warmth and compassion.”