Learning Analytics Artefacts in a Cloud-Based Environment: A Design Science Perspective

Learning analytics is the analysis of learning data for optimising learning and learning environments. A number of models or frameworks for learning analytics have been proposed, which focus on the process of analytics. Motivated by framework developments in other areas, such as systems development and IT management we propose to view learning analytics through the lens of design science. We identify a set of artefacts which extend the existing learning analytics framework along a second dimension. Incorporating a learning model based on interaction theory, the extended framework and artefacts are applied to a case study of business computing students studying customer relationship management in a cloud computing environment. The study shows the artefacts to be useful in extending the descriptive ability of the analytics framework. The significance of the work is that it provides a view of analytics through the lens of design science. In this way the extended framework provides a number of advantages for the application of learning analytics. The framework also contributes to learning analytics research by expanding the analytics vocabulary and providing tools for further research.