Data Driven Instruction, Analytics, Reporting Tools Quest - (Evaluate 2.1.1)

In today's educational climate, data is paramount.  Of course, all the data in the world is useless if you do not know how to properly utilize it!  Online learning, especially when using a quality LMS, gives the educator and administrative team many different elements in which to track, process, and utilize.  The following categories of data are important areas you can utilize during current enrollment as well as planning future curriculum.  

Enrollment/ Attendance Info:  Student count per class, contact information, and special needs information is readily available here.  This allows the educator to get a snapshot of the overall class and how that might affect what curriculum requirements will be needed.

Course Progress:  Educators can readily track student progress through various online tools.  Log-in times and number of times the site is visited is tracked and should be monitored to make sure students are signing in appropriately and getting their assignments completed.  In this example, student activity definitely correlates with student performance.  These stats give educators the opportunity to communicate early on in the course if log-ins are seemingly inadequate in comparison to the work that is being completed.  Of course, it's always a good idea to communicate effectively, and often, with all students--even the students who are performing well.  The communication logs are also a helpful tool, both to log communication activity throughout the course, but to also allow a quick look to make sure you have contacted all your students at regular intervals.

Student Self-Monitoring:  In these examples, students have the opportunity to view their grades and also see comments that have been given by their teacher.  Provided students utilize this information, it is an important way educators may provide helpful feedback that can be used to hopefully assist them in future assignments.  

Data harvested from current courses, without question, can be utilized in planning and preparing for future curriculum.  Questions and topics that students struggled through will be documented via the data in these grade reports.  It may be decided that those areas of curriculum need to be revamped or expanded upon in to add more time for explanation and elaboration.