Learning Analytics (NULA)
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Newcastle University Learning Analytics
Newcastle University's centrally supported Learning Analytics (NULA) system provides Personal Tutors and colleagues in roles that support tutoring processes with a user-friendly dashboard of students' data, demonstrating their educational experience through their learning interactions (engagement) and academic progress (attainment), with the purpose of better supporting students through their educational journey. Colleagues can access the system here.
Additionally, work is currently underway to develop a student interface for the system to surface students' own engagement metrics and behaviours. More information on this will be made available over the course of the academic year.
Benefits and uses
NULA offers a holistic overview of student engagement and attainment data, drawn from various university systems and presented in a visual, user-friendly interface. The purpose of the system is to provide colleagues with data-driven insights to help support students on their learning journey.
What data will be available in the system?
- Student Record Data (SAP)
- Attendance - from the Student Attendance Monitoring System (SAMS)
- Assessment data - from Canvas and NESS
- Engagement data – from engagement in Canvas Courses
Additional data sources will be integrated during 2024/25 that will give even more insights into students' learning habits and engagement.
What will it mean for me?
It means having access to data-driven insights into your students' attainment and engagement, that can:
- reduce the number of systems you access to find the data that is important to you
- facilitate more informed tutoring conversations
- highlight students who may need additional support and guidance
Who is the system aimed at?
The system is available to colleagues that support students within different roles across the University. Find out more about the roles in the Roles and permissions section.
Will learning analytics replace any systems at the University?
The learning analytics system will not directly replace any systems currently in use across the University. The purpose of the system is to bring together student data from individual systems which, when viewed together, can provide colleagues with more meaningful insights into student engagement and attainment. This can save time for colleagues that would ordinarily access individual systems to view student data, e.g., attendance, assessment marks, engagement with Canvas.
How can the learning analytics system support the tutoring process?
The learning analytics system displays collated data for your individual tutees, providing a holistic view of their engagement and attainment. This can help to form the basis of meaningful tutoring conversations and highlight any changes in behavioural engagement, so that students can be signposted to appropriate support if required.
What training or support is available to colleagues for using the system?
A range of training, Guidance and support is available for colleagues to help get the most out of the system.
How are the Traffic Light Calculations worked out?
Traffic lights are designed to compare students' engagement and attainment with their peers who are doing the same activities, at the same time, in the same level of any active module. These calculations will provide a student with a red, amber, or green (RAG) rating, and a score out of 100, indicating their overall engagement and attainment relative to their cohort. A student's RAG rating offers a general indication of their engagement and attainment that can serve as a helpful tool for tutors to initiate conversations with students who may need additional support.
Since traffic light settings are determined at an institutional level, they may not fully account for the diverse ways in which students engage across different programmes. The Learning Analytics team, with support of the Learning Analytics Advisory Panel, is exploring the possibility of adjusting these settings to better reflect the unique ways students engagement across diverse programmes we offer at Newcastle.
Are any additional data sources being implemented in the system?
During 2024/25, additional data sources will be implemented, including:
- Reading Lists
- Library physical loans
- Library e-resources
The Learning Analytics team is collaborating with Jisc to identify additional data sources that can enhance the support provided to students. Further updates will be shared as new data sources become available. If there are any data sources that you think would provide more insights into student engagement and attainment, please contact learning.analytics@newcastle.ac.uk