Learning analytics classroom hacks : examples from an Australian University

![CDATA[This study discusses learning analytics solutions I implemented in three blended undergraduate units over two years. My objective was to gather data on students’ engagement with content. The solutions are “hacks” because they resolved the limitations of my university’s learning management system. I note how these hacks enabled me to make data-driven iterative changes to unit design/content; in addition, student surveys show an increase in satisfaction with the resources of one of the units. I also identify several issues raised as a result of my adoption of these LA solutions—useful for a general discussion of how LA solutions are conditioned by everyday practice in real settings. In addition to the limitations of some LMS, these issues include the following: the need for multiple metrics and benchmarks for a context-rich understanding of engagement and effective iteration; the difficulty of avoiding university (technical) support for small-scale LA initiatives; the importance of recognizing that ethical grey areas can appear without being anticipated (and be overlooked); the need to accept that some teachers could be ignorant of their university’s broader LA initiatives and how this might relate to their own classroom-based teaching goals; and, the importance (and difficulty) of gathering LA data unobtrusively.]]