A self-regulated learning analytics prediction-and-intervention design: Detecting and supporting struggling biology students.

We investigated the effects of a learning analytics-driven prediction modeling platform and a brief digital self-regulated learning skill training program targeted to support undergraduate biology students identified as likely to perform poorly in the course. A prediction model comprising prior knowledge scores and learning management system log data of student activities during the first 2 weeks in the course was applied to flag students who were likely to earn a C or worse (N = 143). Students who were flagged were randomized into a flagged treatment (N = 79) or flagged control (N = 64) condition. We found that training students who were flagged as likely to perform poorly significantly improved their achievement on unit exams, compared with students who were also flagged but did not receive the training. The effect of training on final examination was mediated by unit exam achievement. In addition, the students who were predicted to perform well (N = 83) and flagged treatment groups did not differ statistically significantly on academic performance. Training also had a significant effect on final course performance with students in the flagged treatment and nonflagged groups outperforming the flagged control students. The results indicate that an algorithm that uses behavioral data to predict achievement does so with sufficient accuracy to detect the large differences in achievement earned by two groups of learners distinguishable by their early, digital learning behaviors,...
Source: Journal of Educational Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research