Special Section on Applications of Learning Analytics in Latin America

2023-02-23
Special Section on Applications of Learning Analytics in Latin America

GUEST EDITORS

AIMS & SCOPE

Learning Analytics (LA) is perceived to be a promising strategy to tackle persisting educational challenges in Latin America, such as quality disparities and high dropout rates (Hilliger et al., 2020). Over the past five years, there have been sustained efforts to build capacities for learning analytics adoption, such as the LALA project financed by the European Commission. Although there is a growing understanding of the potential benefits of LA solutions in the region, there are still many barriers that need to be addressed for LA to contribute to educational challenges in the region. Among these barriers, researchers have alluded to the following : 

  • Infrastructure: Many Latin American countries still have limitations in terms of access to technology and high-speed internet connectivity. This can affect the ability to effectively implement and use learning analytics systems. 
  • Training: There is a general lack of training and education in the use of LA across the region. This can hinder the adoption and effective use of LA solutions to drive decision-making within educational settings. 
  • Data: The lack of high-quality data and the lack of capacity to collect and analyze learning data can hinder the development and adoption of learning analytics technologies in the region. 
  • Policies and regulations: There is a lack of clear and consistent policies and regulations for the use of LA within Latin American educational settings. This can hinder the adoption and use of these technologies. 

Despite these challenges, there is a growing interest in using learning analytics to understand and improve learning environments in Latin America. It is expected that more initiatives and advances in this area will be seen in the future, driven by the need to improve the quality of education and equity in the region (Maldonado-Mahauad et. al., 2018).

TOPICS OF INTEREST

Some of the topics of interest for this special issue on LA in Latin America include: 

  • Adoption and implementation of LA solutions: There is a growing interest in understanding how learning analytics technologies can be used in the region to improve education quality and equity. 
  • Learning data: There is concern about the lack of high-quality data and the ability to collect and analyze learning data in the region. 
  • Using LA solutions to improve equity and inclusion in education: LA can be used to identify inequalities and barriers to learning and develop strategies to improve equity and inclusion in education.
  • Using LA solutions to improve educational quality: Studies about the adoption of LA solutions to identify curriculum elements to be improved, such as assessment methods, teaching practices, and learning resources, among others.
  • Policies and regulations for LA solutions: There is a need for clear and consistent policies and regulations for the use of LA in the region. 
  • Training and education in the use of LA: There is concern about the lack of training and education in the use of learning analysis technologies in the region. 
  • Integration of learning analytics technologies with other educational technologies: There is an interest in understanding how learning analytics technologies can be integrated with other educational technologies to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of learning.

SUBMISSION AND INQUIRIES

We therefore invite submissions concerning the above topics. Abstracts should demonstrate that the paper fits the special section focus, has a rigorous methodology, is innovative, makes a significant contribution to the field IN LATAM. Full papers will undergo the standard reviewing process. Therefore, if based on your abstract, you are invited to submit a full paper, this invitation is just that and should not be taken as indication that the final paper will be accepted. Abstracts should be around 500-1000 words, clearly and concisely written. Authors are advised to be explicit with regard to the problem/foci, the research methodology, key findings and value contribution of their prospective paper.

(Optional) Submit your abstract by email to the special section editors at jla.editorial@gmail.com by Friday 31 March 2023.

Final submissions will take place through JLA’s online submission system at http://learning-analytics.info. Queries may be sent to the special section editors.

Important Dates

  • Abstract submission emailed to the special section editors: 31 March 2023 (optional)
  • Final paper submission: 30 June 2023
  • Decisions and comments sent to authors: September 2023
  • Revisions uploaded to the submission system: November 2023
  • Revised/final manuscripts due: December 2023
  • Publication of special section: Spring 2024

References

Cechinel, C., Ochoa, X., Lemos dos Santos, H., Carvalho Nunes, J. B., Rodés, V., & Marques Queiroga, E. (2020). Mapping learning analytics initiatives in Latin America. British Journal of Educational Technology, 51(4), 892-914. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12941

Hilliger, I., Ortiz-Rojas, M., Pesántez-Cabrera, P., Scheihing, E., Tsai, Y. S., Muñoz-Merino, P. J., ... & Pérez-Sanagustín, M. (2020). Identifying needs for learning analytics adoption in Latin American universities: A mixed-methods approach. The Internet and Higher Education, 45, 100726. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2020.100726

Maldonado-Mahauad, J., Hilliger, I., De Laet, T., Millecamp, M., Verbert, K., Ochoa, X., & Pérez-Sanagustín, M. (2018, March). The LALA project: Building capacity to use learning analytics to improve higher education in Latin America. In Companion proceedings of the 8th international learning analytics & knowledge conference (pp. 630-637). Springer.

Pontual Falcão, T., Ferreira Mello, R., & Lins Rodrigues, R. (2020). Applications of learning analytics in Latin America. British Journal of Educational Technology, 51(4), 871-874. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12978

Pontual Falcão, T., Lins Rodrigues, R., Cechinel, C., Dermeval, D., Harada Teixeira de Oliveira, E., Gasparini, I., ... & Ferreira Mello, R. (2022, March). A penny for your thoughts: students and instructors’ expectations about learning analytics in Brazil. In LAK22: 12th International Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference (pp. 186-196). https://doi.org/10.1145/3506860.3506886