This collection focuses on the role of higher education institutions concerning datafication as a complex phenomenon. It explores how the universities can develop data literac(ies) shaping tomorrow skills and "formae mentis" to face the most deleterious effects of datafication, but also to engage in creative and constructive ways with…

Artificial intelligence and data analysis (AIDA) are increasingly entering the field of education. Within this context, the subfield of learning analytics (LA) has, since its inception, had a strong emphasis upon ethics, with numerous checklists and frameworks proposed to ensure that student privacy is respected and potential harms avoided. Here,…

In the era of digitalization of learning and teaching processes, Educational Data Literacy (EDL) is highly valued and is becoming essential. EDL is conceptualized as the ability to collect, manage, analyse, comprehend, interpret, and act upon educational data in an ethical, meaningful, and critical manner. The professionals in the field of…

Learning analytics (LA) has gained increasing attention for its potential to improve different educational aspects (e.g., students' performance and teaching practice). The existing literature identified some factors that are associated with the adoption of LA in higher education, such as stakeholder engagement and transparency in data use. The…

First-Year Engineering (FYE) programs are a critical part of engineering education, yet they are quite complex settings. Given the importance and complexity of FYE programs, research to better understand student learning and inform design and assessment in FYE programs is imperative. Therefore, this dissertation showcases various uses of data…

This paper describes a partnership-based approach for analyzing data from a learning management system (LMS) used by students in grades 6-12. The goal of the partnership was to create indicators for the ways in which students navigated digital learning activities, referred to as playlists, that were comprised of resources, pre-assessments, and…

This contribution offers a commentary on Neil Selwyn's write up of his keynote talk from the Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference in 2018 (Selwyn, this issue). The article has three main sections, namely an account of what Learning Analytics has done, an account of the values behind Learning Analytics, and some ideas for moving forward.…

In 2017, the mathematics assessments that are part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) program underwent a transformation shifting the administration from paper-and-pencil formats to digitally-based assessments (DBA). This shift introduced new interactive item types that bring rich process data and tremendous opportunities to…

The analysis of multiple data streams is a long-standing practice within educational research. Both multimodal data analysis and temporal analysis have been applied successfully, but in the area of collaborative learning, very few studies have investigated specific advantages of multiple modalities versus a single modality, especially combined…

Discussion of the effectiveness of distance learning as a means of delivering higher education programs at classical universities has been ongoing for the past decade. The article presents the findings of a study of changes in academic performance of university students, covering the period from fall 2018 to fall 2023. This period included a rapid…

Recent negotiations of 'data' in schools place focus on student assessment and NAPLAN. However, with the rise in artificial intelligence (AI) underpinning educational technology, there is a need to shift focus towards the value of teachers' digital data. By doing so, the broader debate surrounding the implications of these technologies and rights…

In "System Wise," Adam Parrott-Sheffer, Carmen Williams, David Rease, Jr., and Kathryn Parker Boudett provide a blueprint to scale up the Data Wise process for continuous improvement, extending it from classrooms and schools to broader educational contexts. The System Wise approach highlights the adaptability of the Data Wise protocols,…

In celebrating the 20th anniversary of the "International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education (IJETHE)," previously known as the "Revista de Universidad y Sociedad del Conocimiento (RUSC)," it is timely to reflect upon the shape and depth of educational technology research as it has appeared within the…

The adoption of learning analytics (LA) in complex educational systems is woven into sociocultural and technical challenges that have induced distrust in data and difficulties in scaling LA. This paper presents a study that investigated areas of distrust and threats to trustworthy LA through a series of consultations with teaching staff and…

Student engagement allows educational institutions to make better decisions regarding teaching methodologies, methods for evaluating the quality of education, and ways to provide timely feedback. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, identifying cognitive student engagement in distance learning has been a challenge in higher education institutions. In…