502 More Than Numbers: Data, Analytics, and Design
1:15 PM - 2:15 PM Thursday, October 30
Data and Measurement
Cézanne 1 & 2
The availability of (and demand for) data around learning has grown dramatically. Tools like the Experience API (xAPI) make it increasingly easy to acquire data about learner’s activities, but this will provide little benefit to instructional designers or learners if we do not design to acquire meaningful data, know how to interpret that data, or know how to improve our learning design based on that data.
In this session participants will explore the use of data in the context of learning systems design. You will examine some basic principles surrounding the effective use of data and how to design to provide meaningful feedback. You will discuss concepts including comparative mapping of novice to expert practices and learner experiences with formal courses and other activities. You will explore the application of principles from UXD, web analytics, and business intelligence to design for meaningful (and actionable) contextual data. Examples of how using data generated by the xAPI that can be used for predictive analytics to make interventions seamless for the end user will also be discussed.
In this session, you will learn:
- How to apply principles from fields including business intelligence and web analytics to learning design
- How to design to gather meaningful data within the context of course goals and overall performance objectives
- How to use data analytics to improve course design
- Potential pitfalls of data interpretation
Audience:
Novice, intermediate, and advanced designers, developers, project
managers, and managers. A conceptual knowledge of the xAPI is useful, but not
required.
Technology
discussed in this session:
The xAPI, learning record stores.
Sean Putman
Vice President of Learning Development
Altair Engineering
Sean Putman, a partner in Learning Ninjas, has been an instructor, instructional designer, and developer for over 15 years. He has spent his career designing and developing training programs, both instructor-led and online, for many different industries, but he has had a strong focus on creating material for software companies. Sean has spent the last few years focusing on the use and deployment of the Experience API (xAPI) and its effect on learning interventions. He has spoken at industry conferences on the subject and is co-author of Investigating Performance, a book on using the Experience API and analytics to improve performance.
Janet Laane Effron
Managing Principal
Four Rivers Group
Janet Laane Effron is a data scientist who focuses on the creation of effective learning experiences through iterative processes, data-driven feedback loops, and the application of best practices in instructional design. She has worked on xAPI design projects related to designing for performance outcomes and designing both for and in response to data and analytics. Janet’s areas of interest include text analytics, machine learning, and process improvement. She is also the co-author of Investigating Performance: Design and Outcomes with xAPI.
