Current trends and challenges in higher education (HE) require a reorientation towards openness, technology use and active student participation. In this article we will introduce Social Learning Analytics (SLA) as instrumental in formative assessment practices, aimed at supporting and strengthening students as active learners in increasingly open and social learning environments. The analysis of digital traces of students' learning behaviors provides insight into learning opportunities and can raise students' awareness about where to be and whom to join. Against the background of these HE trends and challenges, we discuss opportunities for applying SLA to support open learning practices, that will move students from awareness to productive engagement in learning activities that promote co-construction of knowledge.