Employing learning analytics for monitoring student learning pathways during Problem-Based Learning group-based group work: a novel approach

Learning Analytics (LA) aims to improve the learning process by analysing learning data, and communicating the results of this analysis to both educators and learners. LA has been employed in a few cases for improving PBL group work but the literature has yet to discuss in detail the incorporation and potential of LA in this context. In this paper, we describe our approach that aims at developing a platform employing LA for monitoring students’ learning pathways during Problem-Based Learning (PBL) group work. The platform is developed in Moodle, and it provides a communication and information channel between project supervisors and students, and between students belonging in the same group. Moreover, the platform provides ways for student groups to better manage their projects, and at the same time enables project supervisors to follow groups’ progress during the semester. The platform is also used as a place, where students hand-in assignments that are related to their project work and report their status in the project. In this platform, we employ various LA tools offered by Moodle in order to monitor both group and individual student activity. Such tools provide learning data on individual student engagement and activity within the platform, generic statistics on the use of the platform, and insights into the exchange of information in the platform. In this paper, we present the functionality of the various modules that build up this platform, and discuss the type of learning data generated and the methods to analyse this data. We conclude this paper with a discussion on the benefits and the limitations of this approach.