ERIC Number: EJ992500
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1436-4522
EISSN: N/A
Social Learning Analytics
Buckingham Shum, Simon; Ferguson, Rebecca
Educational Technology & Society, v15 n3 p3-26 2012
We propose that the design and implementation of effective "Social Learning Analytics (SLA)" present significant challenges and opportunities for both research and enterprise, in three important respects. The first is that the learning landscape is extraordinarily turbulent at present, in no small part due to technological drivers. Online social learning is emerging as a significant phenomenon for a variety of reasons, which we review, in order to motivate the concept of social learning. The second challenge is to identify different types of SLA and their associated technologies and uses. We discuss five categories of analytic in relation to online social learning; these analytics are either inherently social or can be socialised. This sets the scene for a third challenge, that of implementing analytics that have pedagogical and ethical integrity in a context where power and control over data are now of primary importance. We consider some of the concerns that learning analytics provoke, and suggest that Social Learning Analytics may provide ways forward. We conclude by revisiting the drivers and trends, and consider future scenarios that we may see unfold as SLA tools and services mature. (Contains 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Computer Uses in Education, Social Networks, Web 2.0 Technologies, Influence of Technology, Information Technology, Handheld Devices, Program Implementation, Program Design, Discourse Analysis, Content Analysis, Network Analysis, Socialization, Integrity, Definitions, Educational Environment, Ethics, Educational Trends, Social Environment, Power Structure, Electronic Learning, Integrated Learning Systems, Computer Managed Instruction, Data, Information Retrieval, College Instruction, College Students, Data Analysis, Open Universities
International Forum of Educational Technology & Society. Athabasca University, School of Computing & Information Systems, 1 University Drive, Athabasca, AB T9S 3A3, Canada. Tel: 780-675-6812; Fax: 780-675-6973; Web site: http://www.ifets.info
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A