The Role of Learning Analytics in Distance Learning: A SWOT Analysis

Year 2020, Volume: 2 Issue: 1, 18 - 29, 29.06.2020

Derya Orhan Göksün , Adile Aşkım Kurt

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the role of learning analytics in education by discussing the phenomenon of learning analytics in detail. Thus, SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis was cınducted in the study. Initially, a literature review was conducted and the role of learning analytics in the distance learning system was detailed with the analysis of available studies in the literature. Gathered studies were analyzed by the contexts of strengths, weaknesses, opputunities and threats of learning analytics on distance learning. The strengths are “flexible and innovative design”, “rising effectiveness”, “induvidualisation of learning or system” and “understanding user expectations”, and weaknesses are “determining parameters” and “lack of experts”. On the behalf of external factors, oppurtunities are “development in artifical intelligence”, “rom globalisation to localisation change trend” and “gathering big data easily”, and threats of learning analytics on distance learning are “ethical issues (security of data, accessing data, private information etc.)” and “information consumption”. Based on the SWOT matrix, it could be suggested that strengths and opportunities of learning analytics were more dominant when compared to its weaknesses and threats in distance learning.

Keywords

Distance learning, Learning analytics, SWOT

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