Connecting Learning Analytics and Problem-Based Learning – Potentials and Challenges

Learning analytics (LA) are a young but fast-growing field, which, according to some authors, holds big promises for education. Some claim that LA solutions can help measure and support constructivist classrooms and 21st century skills, thus creating a potential of making an alignment between LA and PBL principles and practices. Despite this argument, LA have not yet gained much interest among the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) practitioners and researchers and the possible connections between PBL and LA have not yet been properly explored. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to investigate how LA can potentially be used to support and inform PBL practice. We do this by identifying central themes that remain constant across various orchestrations of PBL (collaboration, self-directed learning, and reflection) and present examples of LA tools and concepts that have been developed within LA and neighbouring fields (e.g. CSCL) in connection to those themes. This selection of LA solutions is later used as a basis for discussing wider potentials, challenges and recommendations for making connections between PBL and LA.

学习分析（Learning Analytics，LA）是一个新兴但发展迅速的领域，部分学者认为其对教育具有巨大潜力。有观点认为，LA解决方案有助于衡量和支持建构主义课堂与21世纪技能的发展，从而为LA与问题式学习（Problem-Based Learning，PBL）的原则及实践之间建立关联创造了可能。尽管如此，LA尚未引起问题式学习（PBL）实践者与研究者的广泛关注，二者之间的潜在关联也未得到充分探索。因此，本文旨在探究LA如何为PBL实践提供支持与参考。我们首先识别出在不同PBL实施模式中始终核心的主题（协作、自主学习与反思），随后呈现LA及相邻领域（如计算机支持的协作学习（Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning，CSCL））中与这些主题相关的工具及概念实例。这些LA解决方案的精选案例随后被用作基础，以探讨LA与PBL建立关联的更广泛潜力、面临的挑战及相关建议。