UMKC’s Application of Learning Analytics Discussed at Several National Conferences

Staff from UMKC Online have been exploring the use of learning analytics to evaluate the effectiveness of our Faculty Certification in Online Teaching course on faculty teaching behaviors in the online environment. Evaluation of online educator training programs and their effects on instructors’ competency and achievement usually depend on post-training self-reported surveys. However, most of these surveys assess the quality of the training and not necessarily the influence to change faculty practices. Of interest in this study was to identify an assessment method to evaluate the impact of the professional development program on online teaching practices, course design, and student behaviors.

Preliminary results from the study show that faculty online teaching behaviors showed significant levels of increase post Faculty Course Certification completion in faculty teaching behaviors such as interactions, content accesses, course accesses, and course minutes. This study and the preliminary results were presented and discussed at the Blackboard Analytics Symposium in February 2017, at Blackboard World 2017 in July 2017, and as part of the Best of Blackboard World webinar series in September 2017. The webinar recording can be viewed in its entirety by registering on this website.