The student learning data that we collect enables feedback loops that benefit each stakeholder. Our ProcessDevelopment at the Open Learning Initiative (OLI) is accomplished by teams composed of learning scientists, faculty content experts, human-computer interaction experts, and software engineers in order to make best use of multidisciplinary knowledge for designing effective learning environments. Data-Driven DesignThe most powerful feature of web-based instruction is that it allows us to embed assessment into every instructional activity. With the students' permission, we collect real-time data of student use in those activities. We use this data to create four “feedback” loops that help students learn more efficiently, instructors assist students, course designers refine courses, and learning science researchers evaluate theories of how students learn. StudentsIn the case of feedback to students, we refer to corrections, suggestions and cues that are tailored to the individual's current performance and that encourage revision and refinement. All OLI courses include frequent opportunities for students to assess their own learning and receive immediate context specific feedback. Fortunately, we benefit from inheriting some of the best work done in the area of online tutoring from Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh faculty. This approach differs from traditional computer aided instruction in that traditional instruction gives didactic feedback to students on their final answers whereas the Cognitive Tutors and “mini-tutors” provide context specific assistance during the problem solving process. Course DesignersStudent activity data inform course designers about how students are using the material and the impact of their use patterns on learning outcomes. Course designers use this data to iteratively refine parts of our courses. InstructorsThe richness of the data we are collecting about student use and learning provides an unprecedented opportunity for keeping instructors in tune with the many aspects of students' learning. OLI's Learning Dashboard can assist instructors in addressing the challenges they confront as a result of the increasing variability in their students' background knowledge, relevant skills and future goals. Learning Science ResearchersSome OLI courses also serve as part of the research environment for the Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center (PSLC). Learning researchers affiliated with the PSLC can embed experimental manipulations in OLI courses to test specific learning theories. The researchers then analyze the data collected by the OLI. The PSLC datashop has created a number of tools specifically designed to generate meaningful displays of student learning data. Our learning environments both build on what we know about learning and serve as a platform in which new knowledge about human learning can be developed and further refined. View our published research. |