Learning analytics and learning design at the UK Open University

The Open University (2016) Developing learning design and analytics for student success, Connections, Vol. 21, No. 3

The latest edition of the Commonwealth of Learning’s magazine, Connections, has an interesting if brief article of the effective use of learning analytics. There are four key points that I noted:

• the OU has scaled up its predictive use of learning analytics to cover over 45,000 students, and it works as well in traditional universities as in the OU
• learning analytics is used in connection with learning design to identify not only students at risk but also to improve the design of the learning materials:
  

  the OU for the first time can empirically analyse the design of its modules. By linking learning designs with student satisfaction and success measures, it became possible to systematically identify, measure and improve critical aspects of students’ learning experience.

• the OU is the first university in the world to develop and adopt a policy relating to the ethical uses of student data for
  learning analytics, involving students themselves in the development of the policy. This makes the adoption and use of learning analytics much easier
• the OU has appointed a reader in learning analytics, Dr. Bart Rienties: that is treating learning analytics really seriously.

Unfortunately there were no links or ways to follow up the article.