Understanding Opportunities and Threats of Learning Analytics in Higher Education – A Students' Perspective

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has further fueled an increase of e-learning in higher education. The widespread use of online learning generates vast amounts of academic data. This data can be collected and analyzed with the help of Learning Analytics to improve teaching and learning. Although students are essential stakeholders of Learning Analytics, their views are underrepresented in current research. Therefore, this paper aims to give an overview of opportunities and threats regarding the use of Learning Analytics from students' perspective. For this purpose, a qualitative study with 136 students was conducted, and the answers were coded and classified by multiple researchers. The results show a generally positive attitude toward Learning Analytics. Noticeable in comparison with existing research were small-scaled answers of participants that focus primarily on the course level and students' everyday lives. The identified opportunities and risks provide a good foundation for further research. © 2022, IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.