Tap into visual analysis of customization of grouping of activities in eLearning

• Published in: Computers in human behavior 2015-06, Vol.47, p.60-67
• Main Authors: Gómez-Aguilar, Diego Alonso, Hernández-García, Ángel, García-Peñalvo, Francisco J., Therón, Roberto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic performance; Distance learning; Education; eLearning; Electronics; Human behavior; Learning; Learning analytics; Mathematical models; Online interaction indicators; Students; Teaching; Visual learning analytics; Visualization
• ISSN: 0747-5632; 1873-7692
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2014.11.001

•We have implemented a tool to study relationships and patterns.•Temporal correlation of the grouping of activities and student’s grades was studied.•The tool searches for patterns in the frequencies of grouping activities and/or student grades.•There is a pattern in the student’s behavior and performance.•The results are consistent across different courses. The use of electronic media in education has a strong impact of on student performance. Prior research has investigated the impact of forum reading and posting, as well as access to reading resources, on academic performance. However, little is known about the relationship between the temporal frequency of these activities and individual student’s performance. In addition, some studies have proposed different categorizations of student activities, and proved the usefulness of these characterizations for predictive purposes and better understanding of the learning process. One of the biggest concerns when teaching courses in a virtual learning environment is to create and develop instruction in a way that it improves the overall learning experience and results. The present study addresses this concern by drawing upon factors influencing academic performance; more specifically, the study focuses on objective factors related to the interaction between the student and the system (number of resources visited in the learning platform, and number of forum posts and views). On top of that, a visualization tool was designed and implemented to allow for further investigation of the relevance of the study variables. The results from the study show that there is a recurrent pattern in the frequency of behaviors and performance across different courses.