Learning Analytics Community Exchange ... · Learning Analytics Community Exchange LACE Project Exit Action Plan Public Deliverable – D1.4 Deliverable Coordinator: Hendrik Drachsler

LearningAnalyticsCommunityExchangewww.laceproject.eu

LACEProjectExitActionPlan

PublicDeliverable–D1.4

Deliverable Coordinator: HendrikDrachsler&MarenScheffel(OUNL) Coordinating Institution: OUNL

Datadue:31.12.15-Submission:15January2016

Keywords:communications,events,sustainability,strategy,businessmodels

Abstract:Thisdocumentdescribesaseriesofpracticalactionstosecurelong-termimpactforLACEprojectoutputsandtoconservecommunitymomentumbeyondtheprojectend.Itwasdraftedpriortothe2ndyearGAthattookplaceatBETT2016,London,UK,andrevisedaccordingtodiscussion.

LaceProjectExitActionPlan

Contents

1Introduction........................................................................................................................................1

1.1SustainabilityandExploitation....................................................................................................1

1.2BestPracticesforSustainabilityandExploitation........................................................................2

2IdentificationofProjectOutcomesandInitialSustainabilityPlan......................................................3

2.1EvaluationFrameworkforLearningAnalytics.............................................................................3

2.2EvidenceHub...............................................................................................................................4

2.3LearningAnalyticsReview...........................................................................................................5

2.4LACEVoice...................................................................................................................................6

2.5LACECommunity.........................................................................................................................8

2.6VisionsoftheFutureStudies.......................................................................................................9

2.7InteroperabilityStudies.............................................................................................................10

2.8Ethics&PrivacyStudies.............................................................................................................11

3BodiesforLong-timeSustainabilityofProjectResults.....................................................................12

3.1EATELandSIGdataTEL..............................................................................................................12

3.2SoLAR&SIGLAEurope..............................................................................................................13

4ConclusionsandOutlook..................................................................................................................14

References...........................................................................................................................................15

About...................................................................................................................................................16


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1IntroductionInthisdeliverable,weprovideafirstversionofanexitandsustainabilityplanthatcoverskeyissuescentraltotheexploitationoftheLACEresults.Thisincludestools,knowledgeandkeyeventsdevelopedforbuildinguptheEuropeanLACEcommunity.

Wefirstdefinerelevantconceptsforsustainabilityandexploitation(section1.1).ThenweprovideanoverviewofbestpracticesandguidelinesinelaborationofsuchkindofplansandshowhowwefollowedtherecommendationsintotheLACEexitstrategy(section1.2).

Section2isthecoreofthedeliverable.Itcontainstheidentificationofthemainprojectresults,outcomesandtheirrelatedexitandsustainabilitystrategy.Thoseresultsare:theevaluationframeworkforlearninganalytics(section2.1),theEvidenceHub(section2.2),LACEreviewarticles(section2.3),theLACEvoicee.g.,Blogs,Twitter,Newsletter,LinkedIngroup(section2.4),theLACEcommunitye.g.,AssociatePartners,Keycommunityevents,Listofimportantcontacts(section2.5),visionsoftheLAfuture(section2.6),datainteroperabilitystudies(section2.7),andethics&privacystudies(section2.8).Foreachelementweprovideadescription,withreferencetotheextendedinformationinrelateddeliverable(s),togetherwithsustainabilityandexploitationplans.

Section3draftsearlyideasabouttheestablishmentofSpecialInterestGroupsfortheLACEcommunitytomaintainandbuildupontheprojectoutcomes.Section4summarisesourplans.

1.1SustainabilityandExploitationAmajordifficultythepromotersandcoordinatorsofprojectsatEuropeanlevelarefacingrelatestothedesignandimplementationofaneffectiveexploitationstrategy,abletoadequatelypromoteprojectsandtheiroutcomesandassuretheirsustainability(Diva,2011).

Sustainabilityisthecapacityoftheprojecttocontinueitsexistenceandfunctioningbeyonditsend.Theprojectresultsareusedandexploitedcontinuously.Sustainabilityofresultsimpliesuseandexploitationofresultsinthelongterm.Aprojectcanbeconsideredassustainableifitsoutcomesorpartsofthesecontinueaftertheendofthefundedprojectduration.Thesustainabilityofprojectoutcomesmaybedifficulttoanticipateandtodescribeinearlystagesoftheproject.

Sustainabilitymaynotconcernalltheaspectsofaproject.Ineachprojectsomeresultsmaybemaintained,whileothersmaynotberequiredtobemaintained.AprojectcanthereforebeconsideredassustainableifcoreresultsarepursuedandoutcomesaremaintainedordevelopedaftertheendoftheEUfunding.Typicalsustainabilityactionsincludethemaintenanceandupdateofinformationandsoftwareortheprovisioningofservicesandtheirpersistentandself-sustainablemaintenance.

Exploitationisassociatedwiththeuseoftheproject’sresultsatdifferentlevels,duringandaftertheimplementationoftheproject.Itisrelatedwiththenecessaryactionthatwillbringvisibilitytotheprojectinordertoinvolvethedifferentstakeholdergroupsandtransfertheresults/outcomesintotheirprofessionalscope.

Exploitationismostlyrelatedtotheideaofwinningkeyactorstousetheoutcomesandservicesofaproject.Exploitationiscloselyassociatedwiththesustainabilityoftheprojectafteritsconclusion,sinceexploitationactivitiesshouldensurethattheresultsoftheprojectareusedbyitstargetgroups


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andpossiblyaretransferredtoothercontexts(e.g.othercountries,otherpedagogicalareas,othersectors).

1.2BestPracticesforSustainabilityandExploitationItisimportanttokeepprojectoutcomesvisibleandavailableaftertheperiodofprojectfundingespeciallyforacommunitysupportactionlikeLACE.Thiscanbeachievedthroughwebsitesorfutureeventssothattargetaudiencescanaccessthem,learnfromthem,adaptthemtotheirownneedsandevenbuildonthemandtakethemtothenextlevel.

Forsuccessfulsustainabilityandexploitation,itisimportanttobearinmindtheimportanceofcreatingoutcomesthatcansurviveaftertheendoftheproject.Forthis,allpartnersoftheconsortiumbutalsothebuilt-upcommunitywithhighlevelofexpertiseneedtobeinvolvedandagreetocontinuetoworkwiththestakeholdergroups(decisionmakers,associations,institutionsofthesectors,etc.)sothatoutcomescanbeappliedtoinstitutionalpolicies.InLACE,consortiumpartnershavealong-timeinterestinlearninganalyticsandareallcommittedtothesustainabilityoftheprojectoutcomesandthepresentexitstrategy.Furthermore,itisfundamentaltoinvolvetheLACEcommunityandtheassociatednetworkinthesustainabilityactions.

TheLACEconsortiumpartnersareresearchcentresfromaheterogeneousgroupsuchasHEI,K12andworkplace.Inadditiontothis,theLACEcommunityeventsthemselveshaveintotalattractedmorethan2500peopleuptotheendofDecember2015withapproximately45%comingfromtheHEIsector,35%fromschoolsand20%fromtheworkplace.

Apromisingwayforexploitationwillbelettingthestakeholdersusetheresultsoftheprojectasaninstrumentforfurtherdevelopmentssothattheycanstartandinvolvenewbeneficiaries.SinceitsverybeginningLACEgotintouchwithrelevantstakeholders,surveyingtheirinterestsandinformationneedstobetranslatedintoprojectactions.ExamplesofthosearetheSoLARFlareworkshops1,2,theEthicsandPrivacyWorkshopseries(#EP4LA)3,aswellasthesectorspecificactivitiessuchasthe‘LearningattheWorkplace’(LAW)4orthe‘LearningAnalyticsatSchools’(LASO)seriesofworkshopsandreviewdocumentsaddressingspecificneedsforlearninganalyticsinsights,policies,privacy,andinteroperability.

Theprojectwebsiteandtheevidencehubhavetobeupdatedandpartnerswillvisitsectoreventsandsocialmedianetworksevenaftertheendoftheproject.Asitisveryimportanttocontinuetobea“community”,eventhoughthefundingperiodisover,theprojectpartnerstendtobecontinuouslyinvolvedwiththeproject’sresultsandoutcomesduetotheiraffectiontowardstheprojectitself.Allthismaintainingoftheprojectbrandforinformation/outcomescaneasilyberecognisedandlinkedtotheproject.InLACEitisplannedtomaintaintheprojectwebsiteviaaspecificLACESpecialInterestGroup(seeSection3).InLACE,allpartnersarecommittedtomaintaintheproject’soutcomesandresults,asdescribedinSection2.

1http://www.laceproject.eu/blog/lace-solar-flare-event-in-uk-9-october-2015/2http://www.laceproject.eu/blog/learning-analytics-solar-flare-event-uk-24-october-2014/3http://www.laceproject.eu/ethics-privacy-learning-analytics/4http://www.laceproject.eu/learning-analytics-review/law-manifesto/


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2IdentificationofProjectOutcomesandInitialSustainabilityPlanInthissection,weprovideanoverviewofthemaintangibleoutcomesoftheprojectandinitialconsiderationsabouttheirsustainability.

2.1EvaluationFrameworkforLearningAnalyticsTheEvaluationFrameworkforLearningAnalytics(EFLA)isoneoftheoutcomesoftheLACEprojectandwillbefurtherdevelopedandimprovedthroughoutandafterthedurationoftheproject,especiallybyevaluatingLAtoolswiththeEFLAsurvey.

2.1.1DescriptionThefirstversionoftheframeworkasdescribedinD3.1consistsoffivecriteriawithfourindicatorseach.Theresultsofafirstevaluationstudy(Scheffeletal.,2015),however,indicatethatseveralissuesneededtobeadjusted.BasedontheseresultsaswellasarevisitationoftheoriginalGCMdata,theframeworkiscurrentlybeingimprovedandasecondversionoftheframeworkisbeingdeveloped.TheEFLAisnowsplitintwoparts:oneforlearnersandoneforteachersasdifferentstakeholdershavedifferentpointsofviewonlearninganalyticsissuesandthusneedtobeaddresseddifferently.Theframeworknowconsistsoffoursectionsforthetwostakeholdergroups:dataaspects,awareness,reflectionandimpact.Eachsectionisthenvalidatedwiththreeaspectsthatareadaptedtothestakeholder’spointofview.Figure1showsthefoursectionsandtheirindicators.MoreinformationcanalsobefoundontheLACEwebsite:http://www.laceproject.eu/evaluation-framework-for-la/

Figure1:Version2oftheEvaluationFrameworkforLearningAnalytics

2.1.2SustainabilityandExploitationThroughtheincreaseduseofLAtoolsthereisahighneedforqualityevaluationcriteriaandprocedures.AsdescribedinD3.1-‘FrameworkofQualityIndicators’thereisagrowingneedinevaluatingtheeffectsofLAapplicationsatthesideofthepractitioners.UntilnowmostoftheLAtoolseitherapplyanunguidedevaluationprocedureorcreateownapproachestoevaluatetheaddedvalueofLAapplications.WithinLACEweofferthefirstevaluationframeworkforLAtoolsgearedtowardsthestakeholdersthatarepersonallyinvolved,i.e.learnersandteachers.TheevaluationcriteriahavebeencreatedbyanexpertstudyasdefinedinD3.1andtherelatedpublicationinthehighimpactjournalET&S(Scheffeletal.,2014).TheEFallowsthirdpartiestotake


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advantageofourreadytouseframeworkandsurveyortakeadvantageofthemostsuitableevaluationcriteriatotheirownoutcomeevaluation.

ThereisahighdemandforoperationalisedandtransparentevaluationcriteriaasanincreasingamountofLAtoolsarebeingimplemented.WethereforeaimtosustainandexploittheEFLAthroughtwomainactivities:

PublishingdevelopmentstepsinscientificjournalsandconferencesWeaimtopublisharticlesandpapersaboutthevariousphasesofthedevelopmentoftheEFLAinscientificjournalsandconferenceslikeintheET&Sversion(Scheffeletal.,2014).Inthatway,wecandisseminatethedevelopmentprocessandtheapplicationoftheEFLAandenableitsreuseandexploitationbythirdparties.Inaddition,wewilldisseminatetheEFLAovertheLACEblogandsocialmediachannels.Suchactivitieswillprovideandshareourexperienceandlessonslearnt.

ExploitationofEFLAsurveyWeaimtoprovidedthelatestversionofEFLAandtheusedsurveyontheLACEwebsite5.TheEFLAsurveywillbepublishedasapublictemplatewithinGooglespreadsheets.Inthatwaytheevaluationprocedure,itscriteria,theappliedindicators,andfurtherprocessingoftheevaluationcanbemadeavailableasacomprehensivetoolsettothirdparties.ThoseexternalpartieswillbereachedovertheAssociatePartnernetworkoftheLACEproject,SpecialInterestGroupsliketheEATELSIGdataTEL,theDutchSURFSIGLA,andthenewlytostartupSIGLAEuropeunderSoLARorEATEL.

2.2EvidenceHubTheLACEEvidenceHubbringstogetherevidencesabouttheeffectsoflearninganalyticsfromacrosstheworld,andhasthecapacitytoinformpolicymakingforlearninganalytics.

2.2.1DescriptionTheLACEEvidenceHubisaplaceforrecording,organisingandsearchingevidencerelatingtothetheory,researchandpracticeoflearninganalyticsandassociatededucationaldatamining.Itseekstobringtogetherevidencefromacrosstheglobetosupportorcontesttheeffectivenessoflearninganalyticsintheschools/compulsoryeducation,highereducationandworkplacesectors.Guidingquestionsandtoolswillbeavailabletohelpusersframe,

categoriseandinterprettheevidence.TheEvidenceHubisavailableathttp://evidence.laceproject.eu.ItishostedbytheOpenUniversityasaseparateWordpressinstance.MoredetailabouttheEvidenceHubissetoutinD2.8EvidenceHubReviewv2.

2.2.2SustainabilityandExploitationAspartoftheLACEproject,theHub’sfundingwillcometoanendinJune2016.Leftunattended,thesitewouldgraduallydeteriorate,missingthenecessaryupdatestoitshost,themeandplug-ins.TheHubwillthereforeformpartofaproposalbytheLACEprojecttosustaintheoutcomesofLACEinaSpecialInterestGroupatEATELorSoLAR(seeSection3).ThealignmentoftheEvidenceHubwiththeLAK16submissionsystempositionstheEvidenceHubaspartoftheprocessofdeveloping,reviewing,presentinganddisseminatingevidencewithintheLAKcommunity.LACEiseagerto

5http://www.laceproject.eu/evaluation-framework-for-la/


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demonstratethattheconnectionoftheLAK16conferencemanagementtoolandtheEvidenceHubcanhavegreatbenefitsforthelearninganalyticscommunityasawhole.FurtherdetailsabouttheLAK16conferencemanagementtoolandtheEvidenceHubcanbefoundalsoinD2.8EvidenceHubReviewv2.

TheLACEprojecthasbuiltcloseconnectionswithmanyrelatedlearninganalyticsprojectssuchasWatchMe,PELLARS,Lea’sBox,SafePat,SHEILA,andLAEP.EspeciallyfortheSHEILAandLEAPprojectthatfocusonEuropeanEducationalPolicy(LAEP)havingtheEvidenceHubwillbeofhighvalue.LAEPandSHEILAareinvestigatingthestateoftheartoflearninganalyticsinEuropeandbeyondtoproviderecommendationsforEuropeaneducationpolicy,includingputtingtogetheraninventoryofevidence.BothprojectsaredrawingontheEvidenceHubtoinformtheirinventoryandassessmentofthecurrentstateoftheart.

2.3LearningAnalyticsReviewTheLearningAnalyticsReviewisthenamegiventothecollectionofreportsthataddresspressingtopicsoflearninganalytics.Itaimstolowerthethresholdforearlyadoptersoflearninganalytics,andtosupporttheminjoiningtheLACEcommunity.

2.3.1DescriptionTheLearningAnalyticsReviewseriesaddressadoptersworkingintheschools,workplaceandhighereducationwithaninterestintheimpactoflearninganalyticsintheshorttomediumterm.Thereportsarepeer-reviewedandthecommissioningandeditorialprocessesensurethatthepapersareofhighquality.Thereportsaddresspractitioners,managersandpolicymakers,andarethereforefocusedonreportingcurrentstateoftheartandbestpractices,withinthecontextofmorescientificresults.Theyareintendedtoanswerpracticalquestionsofearlyadoptersoflearning

analyticstolowerthethresholdtoapplylearninganalyticsandjointheLACEcommunity.ThearticlesareproducedbytheLACEprojectandpublishedbytheUniversityofBolton,Bolton,UKunderaCreativeCommonsAttributionv4.0licenceundertheISSNnumber2057-7494.LearningAnalyticsReviewarticlesareavailablefromhttp://www.laceproject.eu/learning-analytics-review/.

2.3.2SustainabilityandExploitationTherearecurrentlysixLearningAnalyticsReviewpaperspublished,plusthreecasestudies,andthisnumberwillincreasesubstantiallybeforetheendoftheproject.ThesepaperswillremainavailablefollowingtheendofthefundedperiodaspartofthemaintenanceoftheprojectWebsite.AsthesepapersarepublishedunderaCreativeCommonslicencetherearenoissuesofintellectualpropertyorfinancialbenefittobeaddressed.Theydo,however,contributetotheoverallreputationoftheLACEbrand,andinturncontributetothereputationforauthoritativeresourcesthathasbeengainedbytheproject.ThereisthereforeabenefittobegainedbyincludingtheLACELearningAnalyticsReviewaspartofaproposalbytheLACEprojecttosustainitsoutcomesinaspecialinterestgroup(SIG)atEATELorSoLAR(seeSection3).AccesstotheLearningAnalyticsReviewpaperswillprovideamotivationforparticipationinthenewSIG,andacontextforthecontinuedpublicationofthetypeofpapersthathavecometocharacterisetheLearningAnalyticsReview.If


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appropriateresponsibilityhasbeenassigned,thehostingoftheexistingandfuturepaperscanbehandedovertotheSIG(inwhichthepresenteditorialteamislikelytoparticipate).

2.4LACEVoiceUnderthissectionwecombinealloutcomesrelatedtotheLACEVoice,aunifiedsocialmediaidentityforthelearninganalyticscommunityinEurope.ThisinvolvesmediatypessuchastheLACEWebsite,YouTubechannel,blogs,specificsectoractivities,thenewsletter,thesocialmediaaccountssuchas

TwitterandLinkedInlabelledwiththeLACElogo.

2.4.1DescriptionThesocialandwebmediacontenthasbeenusedduringtheruntimeoftheprojectforseveralreasons:

• Tosupportthedevelopmentandgrowthofacommunitywithinterestsinlearninganalytics• Tofacilitatediscussionandexchangeofideas• Tofacilitatethesharingofresources,ideas,discussions,etc.• Tomakeuseofestablishedandmatureexistingtoolswhicharefelttobesustainable• Tofacilitatediscussionsaroundresourceshostedonmaturesocialsharingservices.

ForthesustainabilityplanweareconsideringthosetoolsandinfrastructureascrucialforfosteringtheLACEcommunity.Inthefollowingsectionsweshortlyintroducethosecontentsanddiscussitssustainabilityoptions.

TheLACEWebsiteTheLACEwebsiteisavailableatwww.laceproject.eu.AmongallLACEcontentsitespeciallyhoststhefollowingareas:generalinformationabouttheLACEproject,theLearningAnalyticsReview,AssociatePartners,LACEFAQs.

TheLACEBlogTheLACEblogprovidesakeycommunicationchannelfortheLACEproject,withregularpostsbeingpublishedbyLACEprojectteammembersaswellasbyguests.Untiltimeofwriting128blogpostsandover10guestblogpostsareavailableonthehomepageoftheLACEWebsite.Formoredetailspleasecheckthe2ndyearprojectreport.ThemainLACEblogisavailableatwww.laceproject.eu/blog.

TwitterTwitterisbeingusedasalightweightandmaturetoolthatiswidelyusedtosupportdiscussions,exchangeideasandpromoteaccesstodigitalresources.TheLACEtwitteraccountisavailableathttps://twitter.com/laceprojectandhas591followersatthetimeofwriting.SincetweetsareunavailableviatheTwitterAPIafterashortperiod(about10days),LACEusedthetwittertoolsTAGS,Twubs,andStorifytocapturerelevanttwitterconversations.TAGS6isasophisticatedTwitterarchivingandanalyticstool.ItcanbeusedtoarchiveTwitterhashtags.TAGSisthereforeusedtoarchiveselectedsignificantTwitterhashtagsincluding#laceproject.TwubsisasimplerTwitter

6https://mashe.hawksey.info/2012/12/backup-twitter-status-updates-v11/


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archivingtool.TwubsisusedtosetuparchivesofsmalleventsofrelevancetotheLACEproject7.IncontrasttoTAGSandTwubs,StorifyisusedtomanuallycuratetweetsfromsignificanteventsofrelevancetotheLACEproject8.LinkstoTopsyarchivesareembeddednearthebottomofwebpagesforkeydeliverablesandrecentblogposts9.

LinkedIngroupALinkedIngrouphasbeenestablishedbytheLACEprojecttosupportdiscussionsandsharingofresources10.UseofLinkedInisfelttobeparticularlyimportantforcommunitiesanduserswhodonotmakeuseofTwitter.WewereabletoextendtheLACEcommunitywithover343contactsthatsignedupovertheLACEgroup.Itisavalableathttps://www.linkedin.com/grps/Learning-Analytics-Community-Exchange-LACE-8133802.

SlideshareSlideshareisusedtohostsignificantpresentationsusedbyLACEteammembers.Presentationscontaina“laceproject”tagtoenablerelevantpresentationstobeeasilyfoundathttp://www.slideshare.net/search/slideshow?searchfrom=header&q=laceproject.UseofSlideshareenablespresentationstobeeasilyembeddedinotherWebsites,blogs,etc.Currently58presentationsareavailable.

YouTubechannelAYouTubechannelisusedtohostarchivesofrecordingsofLACEvideosfromvariousstakeholdereventsoftheEuropeanlearninganalyticscommunity.InDecember2015LACEhascreated36videosfromworkshops,interviews,andkeynotes.Thechannelisavailableathttps://www.youtube.com/user/LaceprojectEu.

NewsletterTheLACENewsletterispublishedquarterly.ItaimstoprovideasummaryofrecentLACEactivities.ThefirstLACEnewsletterwaspublishedinJune2014.Thisissueintroducedtheprojectanditsaims,andencouragedreaderstogetinvolvedbyvisitingtheWebsite,joiningthecommunity,registeringtoreceiveupdates,trackingactivityonLanyrdandattendingLACEworkshopsandevents.Sincethanthenewsletterhasbecomemorecontentdrivenandprovideslinkstoprojectoutcomes.

2.4.2SustainabilityandExploitationTheonlinemediawillsurelyremainaftertheprojectlifecycleontheWeb.WithhostingthewebsiteattheUniversityofBoltonITinfrastructure,thehostingcostsarereducedtoaminimumlevel.Inthatwaytheonlinecontentsremainavailableformanyyears.Incase,LACEwillbecontinuedinanSIG,theSIGwillbeabletousetheWebsiteandallitssocialmediachannelsfortheiractivities.TheLACEnewsletterinthepresentformwillnolongerbepublishedaftertheprojectends.Terminatingthepublicationwillbecommunicatedtothesubscribedwithrecommendationsofhowtostayinformedonthesubject(relevantnewinitiatives,subscriptionrecommendationsetc.).IfLACE

7ForexampleseethearchiveoftheSoLARFlareeventathttp://twubs.com/LACEflare8ForexampleseethecuratedsummaryoftweetsfortheopeningsessionoftheSoLARFlareeventathttps://storify.com/briankelly/solar-flare-2014-summary-morning9ForexampleseetheTopsysummaryathttp://topsy.com/trackback?url=http://www.laceproject.eu/blog/standards-learning-analytics-current-activity-2014/10https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=8133802&trk=anet_ug_hm


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becomesaSIGatSoLARorEATELourpartnerEDENcommittedhimselftocontinuetoprovideregularvisibilityofLACEinrelatednewsinitsmonthlynewsletterandonitssocialmediachannels.

2.5LACECommunityAmonghavingmanyfollowersonTwitter(591)andLinkedIn(343),LACEhasestablishedanetworkofdedicatedassociatedpartnersinEurope.BylateOctober2015,66peoplefrom27countrieshadjoinedLACEasAssociatePartnerandatleasttwo-thirdsofthesehadactivelyengagedwiththeprojectinoneormoreways.MostAssociatePartnersarebasedinEurope,buttheprojectalsohasaworldwidereach.LACEAssociatePartnersarekeyactorsinthecommunity,potentiallyindividualsororganisations,andwereservethetermforaclearly-defined,butnon-committing,relationshipwithreciprocalbenefits.Thecommunityisdrivenbyonlinemeansbutalsolargelybywellbrandedlearninganalyticseventssuchas:

• Academicevents:LASINetherlands,SoLARFlare,LAKconference• Workplaceevents:ExcelLondon,Learntec,OnlineEduca,eLearningGuild• Schoolevents:EMINENT,Onderwijsdagen,BETT.

2.5.1DescriptionUptonowinEuropethetopicoflearninganalyticsisrelativelynewontheeventscalendarandbeingdealtwith,largely,asasidetopicontheagendasofsomeofthemoreestablishedevents.ThegrowthoftheLAKandEDMseriesofconferencesiscertainlyanimportantdevelopmentastheyhavebecomethemostimportanteventsinthecommunity.TheorganisationofLAK16inEurope,

Edinburgh,willhelpconsolidateitspositionasbeingthemostimportanteventofitskindontheEuropeancalendar.LACEpartnersarelikelytocontinuetocontributetotheLAKandEDMconferencesforyearstocome.

WhileEDM,LAK,LASI-NL,andSoLARFlarearelargelytargetedtotheacademicresearchcommunitythereseemstobeagapinrespecttoothersectorslikeschoolsandworkplace.ThisraisesthequestionwhethertosupportdedicatedworkshopsonlearninganalyticsatexistingeventsaimedatthosesectorslikeEMINENTandOnderwijsdagenforschools,orthelearningtechnologieseventsdedicatedtocorporateandindustrytraining(e.g.,UK:LondonTechnologiesatExcelLondon,Germany:Learntec&OnlineEduca,US:eLearningGuild)orwhetheritisworthconsideringsettingupdedicatedeventsspecificallyandpurelyonthetopicoflearninganalytics.

TheworkplacesectorwantstocontinuethespiritestablishedattheLACEeventorganisedwiththesupportoftheEuropeanParliamentinBrusselsduringApril2015.A‘LearningattheWorkplace’(LAW)communitywasestablishedgatheringacademic,industryandpublicgovernanceactorsinterestedinthetopics.ThecommunitymemberscontributedtothepublishingofaLAWManifestprovidingpolicyguidelinesanddirectionsforpromotinguseofLAattheworkplace.ThecommunitythenjoinedintoaseriesofinteractionsusingtheTwitterandLinkedinpromotionoftheManifest,resultinginamoretechnicalReviewpublicationaddressingtheinteroperabilityneedsandintegrationissuesfortheestablishmentofaproperLAWecosystem.Theintentistokeepsuchcommunityactivebygatheringtomainlearningtechnologieseventsspecificallydedicatedtoindustryandcorporatetraining.


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2.5.2SustainabilityandExploitationAmongEDMandLAK,theLACESoLARFlareandtheLASINetherlandseventshostedbytheOUUKandOUNLaspartoftheprojectsucceededindrawingtogethernotjustacademicresearchers,butpractitionersandcommercialandnot-for-profitorganisationsintheanalyticssector.TheHEIsectoriskeentocontinuetohostsimilareventsinthefuture,andwillactivelyseekfundingsourcestosupportthis.Upcomingopportunitiesarethe2ndEthics&Privacyworkshop,thefirstFailureWorkshop,andapanelonthefutureoflearninganalyticsatatLAK16.

TheLACEschoolssectorteamislaunchinganeweventincollaborationwithEuropeanSchoolnetinJune2016totestthelevelofinterestinadedicatedeventonlearninganalyticsforschoolsthatmaywellbeworthcontinuingshouldthelevelofsupportandinterestwarrantit.

TheLACEworkplacesectorwillbepromotedandexpandedduringtheLACEspeechonLAWtobeheldattheLearntec2016eventinKarlsruheandtheLACELAWcornerplannedforthenextsmartmanufacturingeventheldbysedAptaGroup&PartnersduringMay2016(Genoa,Italy).SuchfirstinternalandexternaleventstopromotetheLACELAWcommunitywillcontinuebeyondprojectendinJune2016inordertokeepthecommunityaliveandexpanding.

2.6VisionsoftheFutureStudiesThe“VisionsoftheFuture”reportisaimingtobecomeawayshowingdocumentbasedontheEvidenceHubandaPolicyDelphiprocesstodrawoutdifferencesofperceptionandvisionsfromahighnumberofexpertsinlearninganalytics.

2.6.1DescriptionTheaimoftheVisionsoftheFuturePolicyDelphiisthesystematicsolicitationandcollationofinformedjudgmentsonvisionsoflearninganalyticsin2025http://www.laceproject.eu/future-of-learning-analytics/.Itsobjectivesare:toexploreorexposeunderlyingassumptionsorinformationleadingtodifferingjudgmentsonlearninganalytics,andtocorrelateinformedjudgmentsonthetopicoflearninganalytics.ThefirstphaseofthePolicyDelphidrewontheexpertiseofLACEconsortiummemberstodevelopvisionsoflearninganalyticsin2025intheformofshortscenarios.Followingamatrixanalysis,thesevisionswereselectedtoprovidegoodcoveragefor(a)relevancetostakeholders,and(b)theunderlyingthemesoftechnology,privacyandethics,andpedagogy.

Table1:OverviewoftheeightvisionsselectedfortheLACEPolicyDelphi11

No. Visiontitle1 Learnersaremonitoredbytheirlearningenvironments2 Learners’personaldataaretracked3 Analyticsarerarelyused4 Learnerscontroltheirowndata5 Opensystemsarewidelyadopted6 Learninganalyticsareessentialtools7 Analyticshelplearnersmaketherightchoices8 Analyticshavelargelyreplacedteachers

11http://www.slideshare.net/Drachsler/the-future-of-learning-analytics


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ThevisionswereincorporatedintoaSurveyMonkeysurvey,whichwascompletedbyinvitedexpertsandtheLACEAssociatePartners.TheexpertsweredrawnfromthethreefocusdomainsofapplicationofLACE(schools,highereducation,workplace)andthethreeprincipalcontributingdiscoursesoflearninganalytics(technology,privacyandethics,pedagogy).Therespondentsprovidedtheirviewsonwhetherthevisionswere‘desirable’and‘feasible’,andontheactionswhichshouldbetakeninresponsetothem.134responseswereobtained,andanalysishasbeencarriedout.Consultationontheinsightswithstakeholdershasalreadycommencedinseveralworkshops,andwillbecontinuedtotheendoftheproject.

2.6.2SustainabilityandExploitationTheVisionsoftheFuturestudyisaPolicyDelphi,andassuchsustainabilityandexploitationisamatterofensuringthattheresultsreachthosepolicymakersandstrategistswhocanmakeadifferencetothefutureoflearninganalytics.InthefinalphaseoftheprojectthiswillbedonebypublishingaLACEReviewpaper,organisingworkshops,andholdingapanelatLAK16.Ahigh-impactjournalpaperwillbeproducedoncethefullconsultationwithstakeholdershasbeencompleted.Thestudywillbebroughttoaclosewiththeendoftheproject,buttheexampleofitssuccesswillfeedintotheproposedSpecialInterestGroup(seeSection3),whichwillprovideanidealcontextforstudiesthatbuildonthemethodsandsuccessfuloutcomesoftheVisionsoftheFuturestudy.AlreadynowweareincontactwithotherprojectslikeLEAPandSHEILAthatareinterestedinworkingfurtherwiththe8VisionsoftheFutureofLearningAnalyticsandtheempiricaldatathathasbeencollectedsofar.Thesearestrongexploitationactions,asbothprojectswillrunlongerthantheremainingprojectlifetimeofLACE.

2.7InteroperabilityStudiesLACEhasdeliveredanumberofstudiesofcurrentactorsandactivitieswithindatainteroperabilitystandardisationwithrelevancetoLA;inventoriesofspecificationsandstandardsthatimplementersshouldtakeintoconsideration;studiesofnewrequirementsraisedbydatasharingandthedifferentworkprocessesinalearninganalyticscycle.ThesestudieshavebeeninformedbytheLACEcommunity’sexchangewithnational,Europeanandinternationalstakeholders.

2.7.1DescriptionDeliverableD7.4,section7,discussesthecriteriafortakingdecisionsoninteroperabilitysystems,amongthemtheinvolvementofabroadrangeofactorsspanningfromindividualinstitutionsandcompanies,toorganisations,nationalagencies,governmentsandtheEuropeanCommission.TheECthroughLACE

hastemporarilyfilledaneedforcross-institutionalandEuropeandiscourse,supportinginitiativesliketheJiscOpenLearningAnalyticsArchitectureintheUK,scopingofnationalstandardisationprojectsinNorway,developmentandimplementationofLApilotsattheUniversityofAmsterdamintheNetherlands,etc.However,thereisaneedforcontinuoussupportandleadership,andinthisfieldthereislackofEuropeanleadership.AsD7.4observes,“theCENinstrumentsforconsensusbuildingandharmonisationinthisareaareinactive”,thereisalackofappropriatefunding,andtheindividualmarketplayersareinfactlefttomakesenseofthelatesttrends,oftenconceivedwithinaUSbusinesscontext.


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2.7.2SustainabilityandExploitationInreality,theLACEinteroperabilitystudiescomewithanexpirydate;thedevelopmentofthe‘interoperabilityscene’isadynamic,andtheonlywaytosustaintheresultsofourworkistomakesurethattherearecommunitiesthatareabletomaintaintheexchange.AtthemomenttheApereoFoundationhasemergedasthestrongestcandidateforadevelopers’communitythatcouldundertakethetasktokeepthediscourserunning.LACEalreadytalkswiththeLAchapteroftheApereoFoundationtosustainandfurtherdevelopsomeoftheworkthatLACEhasdoneinthisfield.

2.8Ethics&PrivacyStudiesEthicsandPrivacyrelatedtolearninganalyticsareissuesthathavebeenforwardedandhighlightedtoanextentthatwasnotexpectedwhentheLACEprojectwasdesigned.EthicsandPrivacyissuesareaddressedinseveraldeliverables(e.g.,D7.1,D7.2,D7.3andD7.4),indedicatedworkshops,andintheLACEReviewseries.

2.8.1DescriptionTheissuesofEthicsandPrivacy(E&P)canonlybeaddressediftheconcernsareturnedintorequirementsfordesignoftechnicalororganisationalsolutionsandenforcedthroughwell-establishedcodesofpractice.ThustheexploitationoftheLACEE&PstudiesshouldbejudgedbytheextenttowhichE&Prequirementsareembeddedintechnicalandorganisationaldesignproposals.Itisstill‘earlydays’whenitcomestohowtheLAcommunityaddressesE&P,andhowrecentchangesinEuropeanPrivacy

Protectionwillinfluencetheimplementationoflearninganalyticsinschools,universitiesandtheworkplace.Therefore,LACEdevelopedtheDELICATEchecklisttosupportthecommunitytodealwithE&Pissues(Drachsler&Greller,2016).

2.8.2SustainabilityandExploitationLACEhasbeeninstrumentalinestablishingdedicatedE&Pworkshopsatinternationalconferences(i.e.,theAsian-PacificICCEconference,andtheinternationalLAKconference,ApereoConference,andSURFevents).ThisworkwillbesustainedthroughtheLACEpartnerinstitutions’contributions.Furthermore,E&Prequirementswillbeprominentinfutureinteroperabilitywork,seesectionabove.


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3BodiesforLong-timeSustainabilityofProjectResultsDuringtheprojectruntime,theLACEconsortiumcarriedoutanumberofactivitieswiththeaimofinvolvingstakeholdersoflearninganalyticswhofavourthepersistenceandexploitationoftheprojectresults.Thefollowingsectionssummariseconcreteplanstowardsensuringthelong-termsustainabilityofthemainconcreteoutcomesinrelatedSpecialInterestGroupsofacademicassociations.WeaimtoestablishaSIGnamed:‘LearningAnalyticsCommunityofEurope’whichwillenableustokeeptheLACEacronymandlogoaftertheendoftheprojectfunding.

3.1EATELandSIGdataTELEATEL,theEuropeanAssociationofTechnologyEnhancedLearning,isanetworkofEuropeanresearchlaboratories,groups,companiesandpeoplewiththeobjectivetopromoteknowledge,educationandcontinuingeducationintheareaoftechnology-enhancedlearning,tosupportscienceandresearchinthisareaaswellastofosterco-operationamongresearchers,non-commercialprovidersandusersofTEL.EATELaimstodisseminatehigh-qualityresourcesabouttechnology-enhancedlearningtopicstoasmanyinterestedcommunitiesaspossibleandtofacilitatethecontinuousandrapidtransferofresearchresultsintodeploymentforthegeneralpublic.EATELstrivestowardsthedevelopment,conversionandadoptionofstandardsforTEL.ItisthekeyindependentTELorganisation,combiningmoststakeholdersinthefield.ThemainEATELactivitiescanbesummarisedas:

• SupportfortheprovisioningofmaterialandtoolsforeducationandcontinuingeducationintheareaofTEL.

• Administrationandhostingofanelectroniccommunityportalandinformationexchangesystem.

• Organisationandsupportofvariousscientificandeducationalevents,mainlyEC-TELconference,andJTELsummerschool.

• EstablishmentofcollaborativepartnershipsinresearchandindustrytoadvancethecurrentstateofTEL.

Anynaturalorlegalpersonfromanycountryoftheworldcanbecomeamember,ifthispersonsupportstheobjectivesoftheassociationandacknowledgesthestatutesoftheassociation.Byjoiningtheassociation,amemberagreestopromoteandsupporttheassociationandtheobjectivesoftheassociationinanappropriateway–includingpublicforums.Anassociationfeeisrequested.Theexecutivebodiesoftheassociationare:

• TheMembersAssembly,thehighestorganoftheassociation.Itstaskscomprise:recommendationsregardingtheassociation’sactivities;electionoftheManagingCommitteemembers,auditorsandmembersoftheScientificAdvisoryBoard,whosetermsofofficehaveended;approvalofthefinancialplanfortheupcomingfiscalyear,whichhastobeproposedbytheManagingCommittee;decisionsaboutproposals;organisationstructuredecisions(e.g.changingthestatutes,thefinancialamendmentoranyotheramendment,dissolutionoftheassociation).

• TheManagingCommittee,composedby:o Thepresidento Thevice-presidento Thetreasurer


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o Thesecretary

EATELisawell-establishedorganisation,withastatuteandexecutivesbodies.TheyareactiveintheTELfieldandorganiseandsupportseveralactivitiesandevents.TheLACEconsortiumpartnersthinktheycouldbegreatsponsorsandpartnersforthesustainabilityofLACEactivitieslikeorganisingcoreevents,maintainingtheEvidenceHub,andsupportingthecommunity.

EATELhasvariousSpecialInterestGroups,amongwhichtheEC-TELAdvisoryBoard.ThreeLACEpartnersarealreadymembersofEATEL(OUNL,OUUK,CETIS).AsconsortiumpartnerOUNLchairstheSIGdataTEL,thiswouldbeanaturalandeasywaytoaccomplishcontinuationoftheLACEsupportactivities.TheboardofEATELsupportstheproposalandwillbeabletoprovidesomefundingforthecontinuation.Further,giventhestatedgoalsoftheSIGdataTELtostimulatetheuseoflearninganalyticsandTEL,itseemslogicaltomaintainthedatasetcatalogueaspartoftheSIG'sactivities.

3.2SoLAR&SIGLAEuropeAnotheroptionforsustainabilityandexploitationisestablishingaSIGEuropeattheSocietyforLearningAnalyticsResearch(SoLAR).SoLARisaninter-disciplinarynetworkofleadinginternationalresearcherswhoareexploringtheroleandimpactofanalyticsonteaching,learning,traininganddevelopment.SoLARorganisestheInternationalConferenceonLearningAnalytics&Knowledge(LAK)12andtheLearningAnalyticsSummerInstitute(LASI)13,launchingmultipleinitiativestosupportcollaborativeandopenresearcharoundlearninganalytics,promotingthepublicationanddisseminationoflearninganalyticsresearch,andadvisingandconsultingwithstate,provincial,andnationalgovernments.

ItisasimilarorganisationlikeEATELbutspecialisedonlearninganalytics.Furthermore,SoLARismainlydrivenbyUS,CanadianandAustralianorganisations,whichwouldmakeaSIGEuropeaninterestingexploitationchapterforthesociety.ThemissionofSoLARhasthefollowingprioritiestoadvancethefieldoflearninganalyticsglobally:

• Fosterthehigheststandardsofacademicresearchintolearninganalytics• Promotethedevelopmentofopeneducationalresourcesinlearninganalytics• Raiseawarenessoflearninganalyticsamongstpolicyanddecision-makersineducational

institutionsandgovernments• Createopportunitiesforthediversestakeholdersinlearninganalyticstocommunicate,

collaborateanddebate,e.g.academicresearchers,productdevelopers,educators,students,institutionaladministrators,governmentpolicyanalysts

Especially,missions1,3and4aresupportiveargumentsfortheestablishmentofaSIGEuropeatSoLAR.Inthecurrentstagewehaverequestedtheapplicationformfromthesociety’sSIGCoordinatorandarepreparinganapplicationoftheSIGpriortotheLAK16conference.ThereasonforthisistousetheLAK16conferenceforthefoundingoftheSIGandadvertiseittomanyinternationalparticipantsthatareinterestedinlearninganalytics.

12https://solaresearch.org/conferences/lak13https://solaresearch.org/conferences/lasi


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4ConclusionsandOutlookWiththepresentdeliverablewedescribeourapproachtowardssustainabilityandexploitationfortheLACEproject.Webelievethatoureffortsareresultinginpromisingoutcomesthatwillpersistevenaftertheproject’send.

Theidentifiedtangibleoutcomesdescribedinsections2.1to2.8canstronglysupportaSIGLAEuropeeitheratEATELorSoLAR.AllLACEmediaresources,theestablishednetworksandassociatedpartners,aswellasthewrittenreportsareanidealgroundtobetakenupbyaSIGthatwillhavesubstantiallylessbudgetthanLACEhadtoestablishthosenetworks.Ontheotherhand,theSIGcancontinuefromawell-establishedentity–theLACEVoice–andcontinuewithlittleeffortstodisseminatelearninganalyticstopicsandevents.

WebelievethattwoyearsafterthestartofLACE,wehaveestablishedawell-knownprojectthatbecameacentralinformationhubonlearninganalyticsinEuropeandbeyond.

TheEvaluationFrameworkforLearningAnalyticsisexpectedtosurviveasreference,guidelineandbasisfortheevaluationoflearninganalyticstoolsinthecloseandlongtermfutureinscientificjournalsandconferencesaswellasviadisseminationofexperienceandlessonslearntthroughblogsandsocialmediachannels.ItwillbeappliedbytheLACEpartnersandassociatepartnersinupcomingstudies.

TheEvidenceHubisauniqueoutcomethatrequiressomebudgettobemaintained.Butitisalsoaresourcethatattractsneedsofmanyfollow-upprojectssuchasLEAPandSHEILA.

TheLearningAnalyticsReviewarticles,thevisionofthefutureandinteroperabilitystudies,thevideoandtheblogpostswillsurviveinbestpracticesandguidelinesandwillbetakenupbyfutureprojectsandorganisationsthatplantoapplyLAtotheirorganisation.

Asdescribedinsection3,weareevaluatingthefeasibilityofestablishingaLACESIGEuropethatcouldofferbodyandmeansfortheLACEcommunityandresultstopersistandleadtonewinsights.WeneedtoexploreifthatSIGshouldonlybeestablishedateitherEATELorSoLARorwhetheracombinedapproachisofinterestfortheprofessionalacademicorganisationsthathavealreadybeencooperatingmorecloselyinthepast.

ThisplanwillbefurtherdiscussedattheAnnualMeetingatBETT2016,22.01.2016.OnceafinalstrategicagreementhasbeenformedwithinLACE,weareplanningtosubmitaSIGproposaltoSoLARbymidMarch2016.InthemeantimewewillalsoelaboratethepossiblecooperationwiththeexistingSIGdataTELatEATEL.WeaimtohaveasolutionforthehomeoftheLASIGEuropebymidofAprilandpromoteitattheLAK16conferenceinEdinburghandvariousadditionaleventsorganisedbytheLACEsectors.


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ReferencesDrachsler,H.&Greller,W.(2016).TheDELICATEChecklisttoimplementtrustedLearningAnalyticsinEducationalOrganisations.6thLearningAnalyticsandKnowledgeConference2016,April25-29,2016,Edinburgh,UK.

DiVa(2011).HandbookforDissemination,ExploitationandSustainabilityofEducationalProjects.Availableat:http://www.diva-project.eu/images/stories/Public_Downloads/dhandbook.pdf

Scheffel,M.,Drachsler,H.,StoyanovS.,&Specht,M.(2014).QualityIndicatorsforLearningAnalytics.EducationalTechnology&Society,17(4),117–132.

Scheffel,M.,Drachsler,H.,&Specht,M.(2015).Developinganevaluationframeworkofqualityindicatorsforlearninganalytics.InProceedingsofthefifthinternationalconferenceonlearninganalyticsandknowledge(pp.16-20).NewYork,USA:ACM.


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About

VersionHistoryDate Notes Person2015-10-01 Initialdraftwithstructureandcontentpresented HendrikDrachsler(OUNL)2015-10-30 Contributionsbyconsortiumpartnersfordifferentsections All,especiallySally

Reynolds(ATiT),DougClow(OUUK),RebeccaFerguson(OUUK),FabrizioCardinali(ITS),DaiGriffiths(Cetis),ToreHoel(HiAO)

2015-11-30 Furtheradditionsandalignments MarenScheffel(OUNL)2015-12-15 Internalreviewcompleted ToreHoel(HiAO),Dai

Griffiths(Cetis)2015-12-23 Finalisationofthedocument HendrikDrachsler(OUNL)2016-01-08 ClearedforsubmissiontotheEC HendrikDrachsler&Maren

Scheffel(OUNL)

Aboutthisdocument(c)2016,HendrikDrachsler&MarenScheffel

LicensedforuseunderthetermsoftheCreativeCommonsAttributionv4.0licence.Attributionshouldbe“byHendrikDrachsler&MarenScheffel,fortheLACEProject(http://www.laceproject.eu)”.

Formoreinformation,seetheLACEPublicationPolicyhttp://www.laceproject.eu/publication-policy/.

AboutLACETheLACEprojectbringstogetherexistingkeyEuropeanplayersinthefieldsoflearninganalytics&educationaldataminingwhoarecommittedtobuildingcommunitiesofpracticeandsharingemergingbestpracticeinordertomakeprogresstowardsfourobjectives.

Objective1–PromoteknowledgecreationandexchangeObjective2–IncreasetheevidencebaseObjective3–ContributetothedefinitionoffuturedirectionsObjective4–Buildconsensusoninteroperabilityanddatasharing

http://www.laceproject.eu @laceproject

ThisdocumentwasproducedwithfundingfromtheEuropeanCommissionSeventhFrameworkProgrammeaspartoftheLACEProject,grantnumber619424.

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