ASCILITE session

Cassandra Colvin
Charles Sturt University
@casssays

Malcom Burt
Queensland University of Technology
@DrCoaster

Sue Gregory
University of New England
@SueGregory

Cathy Gunn
University of Auckland
@dr_cathy_gunn

David Jones
University of Southern Queensland
@djplaner

Gregor Kennedy
University of Melbourne

Dirk Ifenthaler
University of Mannheim
@ifenthaler

Greg Thompson
Queensland University of Technology
@gfthommo

Catch this session

Tuesday 5 December, 3.45pm – 4.45pm
Stream 1
H102

Abstract

In 2015 the Learning Analytics Community Exchange (LACE) developed a series of eight scenarios of the future of learning analytics which were designed to engender provocative discussion and reactions. The ASCILITE Learning Analytics Special Interest Group accepts this challenge and presents a panel discussion based on these scenarios. Our facilitator will lead the session through a series of questions, bringing together a range of discussants, each with their unique perspectives on the value and future of Learning Analytics. Will the year 2025 see a utopian future where students and academics have ready access to a diverse range of data and associated recommendations or a dystopian future in which learning analytics are rarely used. Delegates will be invited to join in the discussion through voicing their own opinions via a live Twitter feed and polling.

About the authors

Cassandra Colvin

Cassandra is currently Manager, Adaptive Learning and Teaching Services at Charles Sturt University. Prior to this appointment she was Manager, Learning Analytics, and Manager, Enhancing Student Academic Potential, an academic intervention program targeting first-year students who had been identified as academically vulnerable, both appointments at University of South Australia. Cassandra has enjoyed extensive experience in the international education industry, primarily in management roles supporting the needs of international students. In 2007, Cassandra led the team at Edith Cowan University which an Australian Office of Learning and Teaching program award in the category ‘The First-Year Experience’. Cassandra has presented widely on themes relating to learning analytics, student support, and intercultural interactions. Particular interests include learning analytics implementations and practice in higher education, intercultural relations between students, and embedding quality and continuous improvement tenets into all aspects of her work.

Malcom Burt

I’m a PhD candidate in virtual reality and also create virtual reality objects for universities, which allow their students to experience more immersion and empathy (the two key reasons to use VR). There’s too many huge ideas in this space which, while cool, scare people off. Perhaps we should be focusing on making the bare minimum that you need to enhance immersion and empathy?  I’d like to come to ASCILITE to speak to others in this field, to identify others that may be researching in this area, and of course to become a member. Malcolm is attending ASCILITE 2017 as one of three recipients of the 2017 ASCILITE Student Bursary Award.

Sue Gregory

Associate Professor Sue Gregory is the Chair of Research, Education Scholar and member of the ICT team in the School of Education, University of New England, Armidale, Australia. She holds a Senior Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. Sue teaches pre-service and postgraduate education students how to incorporate technology into their teaching. She has been applying her virtual world knowledge to expose her students, both online and off-campus, since 2007. She has been involved with many national and university projects on creating and using learning spaces in virtual worlds, with over Au$1.2m in grants, including five Australian Category 1, two as lead. She received an OLT citation in 2012. Since 2009, Sue has been Chair of the Australian and New Zealand Virtual Worlds Working Group and has over 100 publications on teaching and learning in virtual worlds and also in the area of exploring various tools for online teaching and learning.

Cathy Gunn

Cathy Gunn is an Associate Professor of Learning Technology at the Centre for Learning and Research in Higher Education (CLeaR) at the University of Auckland. CLeaR promotes innovation and leadership in teaching and learning at institutional level and across eight faculties in New Zealand’s largest research university. She has held leadership positions at the Centre, including Head of eLearning, Deputy Director, Acting Director and Principal Researcher, and produced more than 130 scholarly publications during 25 years working in the higher education sector. Cathy is an experienced researcher and an active contributor to international learning technology professional societies and networks. She has reviewed papers for various high profile journals and conferences since 1995, and is a former President and life member of Ascilite

David Jones

David Jones has tinkered at the intersection of learning, teaching and digital technology in higher education since the last days of print-based distance education in the early 90s. In that time, he’s taught in information technology, information systems, teacher education and tertiary teaching programs. He currently works for USQ’s Office for the Advancement of Learning and Teaching. His primary research interest has been in theorising, developing, supporting, and using digital systems that are actually useful and easy to use for learners and teachers. His current focus is on enabling teacher DIY learning analytics and exploring its impact on learning and teaching.

Gregor Kennedy

Gregor Kennedy is the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Teaching & Learning) at the University of Melbourne, Director of the Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education, and a Professor of Education in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education.

Dirk Ifenthaler

Dirk Ifenthaler is Chair and Professor for Learning, Design and Technology at the University of Mannheim, Germany, Adjunct Professor at Curtin University, Australia, and Affiliate Research Scholar at the University of Oklahoma, USA. Dirk’s research focuses on the intersection of cognitive psychology, educational technology, learning science, data analytics, and computer science. Hi research outcomes include numerous co-authored books, book series, book chapters, journal articles, and international conference papers, as well as successful grant funding in Australia, Germany, and the USA – see Dirk’s website for a full list of scholarly outcomes at http://www.ifenthaler.info.

Greg Thompson

Greg Thompson is Associate Professor of Education Research at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Prior to becoming an academic, he worked as a high school teacher in Western Australia for 13 years. He graduated with a PhD from Murdoch University in 2009. From 2010-2015 he worked in the School of Education at Murdoch, before taking up his position at QUT in July 2015. Thompson’s research focuses on educational theory, education policy, and the philosophy/sociology of education assessment and measurement with a particular emphasis on large-scale testing. Recent research projects include reconceptualising test validity, Instructional Rounds as Professional Learning, education policy and teachers’ perceptions of time and the impending impact of learning analytics/Big Data on schools. He is the Australasian Editor (under Stephen Ball) of The Journal of Education Policy and Associate Editor (under Bob Lingard) of Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education. He is also editor of two book series, Local/Global Issues in Education (Routledge) and Deleuze and Education Research (Edinburgh University Press).