NTU Student Dashboard

CADQ/ IS Staff Briefings September 2014www.ntu.ac.uk/studentdashboard

Overview

• Learning analytics & dashboards

• 2013-14 pilot

• What does the dashboard do?

• Ethics & access to student data

• How to use the dashboard

• What to expect in the next few weeks & support

• Future developments

www.ntu.ac.uk/studentdashboard

Why are we developing the dashboard?

• Potentially helps solve problems

• HERE Project: NTU, Bournemouth, Bradford (2008-2011)– Up to 1/3 of NTU 1st years have considered leaving, report poorer quality

experience– Factors associated with improved experience– Being known by staff, working relationships with staff, coping with the transition

into HE

• Internal audit report (summer 2012)– Good overall retention, however patchy use of data for tutors & teaching staff

• IS sense checking in the market, testing the possibilities for technology (2012-13)– Strong interest in the sector, lessons coming from North America, lots of data

being under-utilized

• After tendering process we are working with an external vendor, DTP SolutionPath, the dashboard is driven by HP Autonomy IDOL

Benefits for staff & students

• Early warning of the risk of disengagement & withdrawal– Appropriate retention

• Building a sense of belonging– Students want to feel known – may be particularly useful for groups with

traditionally lower progression & attainment (male, BME, poorer SE backgrounds)

• Puts lots of information about students in the hands of tutors– Grades, Disability Access Statement, potential at risk factors

• Large scale analysis of behaviours– Warning students of risks of current levels of engagement

• Future developments– Feedback, attendance monitoring, possible diagnostic testing, increased

planning tools

Who is the dashboard for?

• Primarily students and course tutorial tutors

• Both see identical screens

• However, all staff can input comments in free text boxes

• Based around course tutorial structure– To give manageable groups

• Other NTU staff can access & use it

Student Tutor

Academics on course

Course administrators

Student Support Services

Limited library staff

Limited careers staff

Dashboard Pilot (2013-14)

• 4 first year courses, 50 staff, 400 students (Sept-June)– Education, NBS, Social Sciences

• Student views– Can see potential benefits– Feel strongly positive about the dashboard– But also have strong concerns of abuse

• “Will this be used against me if I fail?”

• Staff views– Strongly positive– Dashboard not perfect, but can see how they can use it in own practice– Useful for relationship-building – Valuable to understand what happened to students who may be disengaging &

may also have an impact on driving up engagement– For most staff use was considerably less than 30 minutes per week

Ethics

Student perspectives

• Students grant permission to use the dashboard as part of their enrolment conditions

• We’ve checked with legal services to ensure that current terms & conditions are appropriate

• We’ve communicated via a number of central communications channels

• As the primary use is between students and tutors, please would staff introduce it as part of new student/ returners inductions– We’ll forward a couple of slides via school contacts

• Low engagement – risk of labeling

Staff Access

• Apart from the engagement rating, staff already have access to all the data in the dashboard

• However, ease of access makes it important to impress the importance of data protection & privacy

• Staff computer use regulations make it an offence to abuse personal data

• Use of the dashboard is to support student experience

Access levels

Level Access Who?

0 Whole dashboard Student Services, some library & careers staff, developers

1 College level Course/ subject administrators

2 School level Deans, associate deans, QMs, LTCs etc.

3 Division level Most academics

NB we are trying to capture staff who teach outside their division & school using timetabling software. Please be on the lookout to ensure you have the necessary access

Working with the dashboard

What does the dashboard do?

NTU Student Dashboard

Student biographical info, e.g. enrolment status

Evidence of student engagement

• Door swipes (where appropriate)

• Library books

• NOW use

• Attendance at tutorials

• Dropbox submissions

• Academic history

Staff view

Studentview

Compares student engagement across the cohort & gives rating

Can make comments in free text box

Raises alerts!!

Log in

Via My Tools in NOW

or

www.ntu.ac.uk/studentdashboard

• Name• Entry age• Disability Access Statement• Gender• Home address• Residency• Entry qualifications• Enrolment status• Course name, level, & year• Study mode• Repeating• Detail www.ntu.ac.uk/studentdashboard

Points to note• Sortable – each heading is

dynamic

Points to note

Disability Access StatementOther contact detailsTutor name

Student Engagement Rating - Cumulative

Student Engagement Rating – week-week

Engagement based on student behaviour

Potentially useful if you inherit a new groupWill be able to see how students are navigating their way through

Looking at student engagement

Three examples of withdrawn first year students 2012/13

Not in the pilot

Different patterns of withdrawal, some may be more amenable to support/ early warning

Patterns of disengagement & then withdrawal

• Early analysis looks like association between low engagement & withdrawal

Potential impact of responding to low engagement

Tutor Notes18/11/13 Concerned about student attendance. Emailed student to request a meeting : added on 20131120 for N0*****

Tutor NotesArranged to see [student] as attendance was poor. We had an open and honest discussion about this and I explained to him the relationship between attendance and success! We talked about the barriers to his attendance, which related to too many late nights! Will meet again to review his attendance [tutor name][student] has not attended my lectures for a few weeks. Emailed him to ask him to attend a one to one tutorial [tutor name]

Working with the dashboard

www.ntu.ac.uk/studentdashboard

Staff working with the dashboard

• Would tutors please:

• Tutors check the mid-Sept email alert contains the right information

• Introduce the dashboard during induction/ welcome back

• Respond to the two automatic alerts

• Complete registers for tutorials in NOW

• Check in fortnightly, or whenever you meet individual students

• Use the dashboard & particularly the free text field during meetings with students (all staff)

www.ntu.ac.uk/studentdashboard

Future developments

• November – December 2014 – detailed analysis of student engagement data– Look at the pilot groups, start to look at cohorts with lower levels of engagement

• Explore bringing feedback into the dashboard

• Explore potential of analytics– Diagnostic testing– Risks associated with particular engagement patterns

Thanks for listening

Discussion, questions?