Some of you reading this title might think, “Wait, didn’t Kyushu University already have a Learning Analytics Center (LAC)?” While there was an LAC within the Faculty of Arts and Science before March 2021, the one newly established is a university-wide LAC. It was founded through the dedicated efforts of Professor Keishi Shimada from the Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering at our university. I am also participating in a small capacity.
Kyushu University Learning Analytics Center https://la.kyushu-u.ac.jp/
Until now, primarily within the Faculty of Arts and Science, volunteer faculty members have been utilizing Learning Analytics functions to conduct classes, improve learning environments and instruction, and conduct related research. By using Learning Analytics infrastructure—such as real-time analysis and learning dashboards that encourage improvements in student learning behavior—these faculty members have been able to manage classes in ways that would otherwise be impossible, and they have been actively implementing various initiatives to promote student understanding of the content. We would like to expand this knowledge across the entire university. The newly established LAC aims to promote the parallel deployment of systems related to Learning Analytics, as well as the knowledge and research findings gained from their practical application.
As it has just been launched, we will be establishing specific policies for our activities moving forward, but I hope to conduct research that contributes to the improvement of learning environments and instruction, and to engage in activities that disseminate our findings.
I believe Learning Analytics will be required in the next stage as initiatives like the GIGA School Program expand not only in higher education but also in elementary and junior high schools. I suspect that Learning Analytics will eventually be recognized as a standard practice. However, including in higher education, Learning Analytics is not just a matter of technology; it also requires a shift in the perception of the faculty members who are the users, so I think it will take a considerable amount of time before it becomes widespread. Compared to faculty members, I feel that many students think more positively about technology and are often able to use it effectively. I would like to work hard toward the goal of “Learning Analytics becoming a standard practice.” Since my main research field is higher education, I intend to advance research from the perspective of higher education to contribute to this goal and enable its parallel deployment.
While a major role of the center is to conduct research that contributes to the improvement of our university’s learning environment and instruction, I hope that these findings will spread both domestically and internationally, including to the world after the GIGA School Program mentioned above.
Thank you for your continued support.
