Picking up on the theme of the last post, I want to come back to the question of what changes peoples' minds? In 12th November 2021 edition of the "Oh God What Now?" podcast, there was a particularly interesting interview with the Climate Scientist, Peter Stott. Stott was asked by one of the panellists, how …
Human beings: how we’re pre-wired to ignore the evidence
I think if there's a central thesis to any of my writing it's something like: data insufficient for changing individuals or organisations. Just as gravity is apparently to be the weakest of the fundamental sources, I think presenting data may the weakest way to change anyone's view of anything. I'll keep returning to this theme, …
Continue reading Human beings: how we’re pre-wired to ignore the evidence
Contacting Gen Z Students – part II
In the last piece I explained how in our most recent Student Transition Survey (Feb-Mar 2021), we asked students how they would like to be contacted if our learning analytics platform had raised an alert. When presented with a single choice, 32% wanted to be contacted initially by text. We will build this in to …
Are Gen Z students allergic to the phone?
I recently re-read a copy of White Dwarf games magazine from my youth (mid-1980s). For me, one of the most interesting pages was the personal ads. Amongst requests to swap rulesets, or sell fanzines, there were lots of personals ads. The ads were nearly all from young men and were about meeting other gamers to …
AI in Tertiary Education report
<Blogging as a filing cabinet> AI is clearly part of the future of education, but I suspect a lot of what's claimed now is utter bobbins. So do we chase every opportunity to use it now, or let other HEIs blow millions on bad tech then swoop in learn from their mistakes? AI in tertiary …
Shifting Baseline Syndrome
Feral (2013), George Monbiot I'm writing the morning after the UEFA cup final. One manager, Chelsea's Thomas Tuchel, is being praised for tactical intelligence, one, Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, has been criticised for an apparently erratic squad choice. I didn't watch the game, so I'm not sure whether City played in a more interesting or …
Gravity assist: report of the digital teaching and learning review (February 2021)
In summer 2020, in response to the first national COVID-19 lockdown, we used learning analytics data to manage a calling campaign to students who appeared to have been most disadvantaged by the transition to wholly online learning. In essence, we pulled together a team of volunteers to contact students who appeared to have disengaged from …
Continue reading Gravity assist: report of the digital teaching and learning review (February 2021)
“Wait for it!” – Problems using predictions to instigate COVID 19 lockdowns
The reaction time of a typical human being is apparently 250 miliseconds. In other words, it takes us about quarter of a second to get out of the way of a speeding snowball, or catch the dropped vase. That stuff's easy - 1. Danger - 2. React - 3. Try not to look embarrassed when our response …
Continue reading “Wait for it!” – Problems using predictions to instigate COVID 19 lockdowns
Minimising Risk vs Maximising Success: learning analytics intervention strategies
At the other end of the phone is a student. Your learning analytics tool has predicted that they may be at risk of early departure. Under the circumstances they are likely to benefit from a supportive, sympathetic conversation, or perhaps they need a nudge or a jolt to make them realise they need to re-engage. …
Continue reading Minimising Risk vs Maximising Success: learning analytics intervention strategies
Onwards from Learning Analytics (OfLA)
At the time of writing, we are entering the final year of our latest Erasmus+ collaborative project. Onwards from Learning Analytics (OfLA) is a learning analytics project interested in supporting students at risk of leaving university early or failing to achieve their potential. We don't take the view that students ought to be retained no …
Living Learning Analytics Blog 