Student-facing dashboard for online and distance education with selected features¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 5 claims (2 for, 3 mixed) · 1 study (1 design), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 5 claims rest on one study

Description¶

A student-facing learning analytics dashboard designed with and for online and distance learning students, displaying assignment scores, credits passed and studying, last time active on the module, VLE visit graphs, materials most interacted with, tutorials attended, forecast of next assignment, material recommendations, and contact points for the student support team and tutors. Features were selected through the participatory process; comparison data was excluded due to lack of student agreement.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Predictive data from machine learning models forecasting upcoming assignment performance
• Integration with VLE data and institutional support channels

Constraints¶

• Cannot capture offline engagement such as reading printouts
• Forecasts cannot capture personal circumstances affecting performance

Target Learners¶

• online and distance learning undergraduate students

Target Learning Goals¶

• monitoring study progress
• study planning
• contacting support

Claims¶

• Students endorsed descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive data points driven by a desire to understand study progress and act on it [+W]
• Comparative dashboard features found less support among online students than recommendations and contact features [~W]
• Students raised concerns that performance forecasts cannot capture personal circumstances affecting study [~W]
• Preferences for visualizing predictions with metaphors were a matter of personal choice, with students wanting to choose their own metaphor [~W]
• Online students' learning needs centre on course support and communication with tutors and other students [+W]

Related Elements¶

• SensEnablr: a student-facing learning analytics dashboard integrating descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive analytics
• Learning Analytics-Driven Feedback

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Herodotou, C., Shrestha, S., Comfort, C., Andrews, H., Mulholland, P., Bayer, V., Maguire, C., Lee, J. & Fernandez, M. (2025). A Participatory Approach to Designing a Student-Facing Dashboard for Online and Distance Education. Journal of Learning Analytics, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.18608/jla.2025.8481