What is Learning Analytics?
Generally speaking, learning analytics refers to the collection and analysis of data about learners and their environments for the purpose of understanding and improving learning outcomes.
Learning analytics is where big data meets traditional quantitative methods in education. Governments, universities, testing organizations, and massive open online course providers are collecting data about learners and how they learn. All that data, however, has been mostly untapped until the fairly recent development of the methods and tools to do so.
Much of the data currently available does not come in neat, well-organized, and collected formats. It exists in varied forms across systems and locations. Analysts today need the skills to access and transform this data, so we can better understand not only what students know, but how they know it. Learning analytics and educational data mining are the tools to transform this data into knowledge and lead, in the end, to improved education.
How is Learning Analytics Used?
The Horizon Report: 2019 Higher Education Edition, produced by the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, identifies learning analytics as one of the digital strategies and technologies expected to enter mainstream use in the near future. As such, skilled data analysts are needed to support these analytics-driven initiatives and bring about institutional success.
“One of the driving forces behind the growth in the learning analytics field is that educational institutions are now facing the challenge of limited resources and increased accountability, which are propelling creativity and discovery,” says Melisa LaCroix, a database administrator and Northeastern University alumna. “The analytics programs that were once reserved for big businesses are now being widely used in higher education and K-12 institutions to measure student growth, inform curriculum decisions, and identify students at risk for failing a course or program.”
In addition to these practical uses of learning analytics, the practice is often used to:
- Measure key indicators of student performance
- Support student development
- Understand and improve the effectiveness of teaching practices
- Inform institutional decisions and strategy
“Having an analytics program in place is not a magical solution to educational challenges, however,” LaCroix notes.
Instead, any learning analytics initiative should be complemented by strong communication between the analyst and educators in order to successfully leverage the insights gleaned by the effort.
“To build a successful learning analytics program at an educational institution, it’s important to engage and inform school leaders, listen to the needs of teachers and students, and educate users on how to consume and act on the data that’s presented. Teachers and administrators will only be committed to data-driven decision making if they can see its value and are educated about how to turn insights gleaned from data into action.”
Impacting the Future of Education
Now is the time to enter the learning analytics field and make a difference in the education of current students and lifelong learners. To do so requires a solid foundational understanding of quantitative methods, combined with expertise in constructing, merging, managing, cleaning, and analyzing data using cutting-edge software and techniques.
After making a career change and pursuing an education focused on learning analytics, LaCroix has been able to find success working in the field.
“As I’ve worked in the field of learning analytics and learned more about it through my graduate program, I see how it has the potential to help educators decide where limited resources are best spent, to increase their accountability to parents and other stakeholders, to make their results more transparent, to inform their instruction, and to put more power into students’ hands for creating and improving their own learning,” LaCroix says.
Beginning a career in this dynamic field often begins by developing your skills in data analysis. Northeastern offers programs to prepare students to meet the growing demand for professionals in the field, including the Master’s in Analytics and Graduate Certificate in Learning Analytics. Students learn key analytics concepts and theories, and discover how to select, prepare, implement, interpret, and evaluate learning analytic models appropriately.
According to LaCroix, “Learning analytics has enabled me to combine my skills as an instructional designer, an advocate and communicator, and a technology professional.”
What impact do you want to have on the future of education?
If you’re interested in breaking into the world of learning analytics, learn how earning a Master’s in Analyticsfrom Northeastern can help you accelerate your career.
Analytics Programs at Northeastern University
Big Data. Big Opportunity.
Become a Part of the Big Data Boom.
The proliferation of data across the global economy has given rise to one of the most booming and in-demand industries today: Analytics.
Data is transforming business and shifting workforce demands everywhere. Companies are searching for qualified candidates who understand both the mechanics of data and how to identify the insights that influence business decisions.
An Insider’s Perspective
Watch Northeastern faculty discuss the growing demand for data analytics in business and industry.https://northeastern.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Embed.aspx?id=ee4596db-d815-4615-833a-abbb00eb86ee&autoplay=false&offerviewer=false&showtitle=false&showbrand=false&start=0&interactivity=all
The Growing Demand for Jobs in Data Analytics
Data analytics has also sparked a hot hiring market. With more than 2.3 million job openings today, experts predict that by 2020, that number will swell to more than 2.7 million. And because qualified professionals are difficult to find, these analytics jobs often pay well.2.3 MillionTOTAL JOB POSTINGS80-163KSALARY RANGE23%PROJECTED FIVE-YEAR GROWTH39%JOBS REQUIRING DEGREE
Many of these jobs require both experience and advanced degrees—not always easy to find in a burgeoning new field. Eighty-one percent of all analytics job postings require at least three years of experience, and those that pay the highest require a master’s degree.
As a result, analytics jobs in certain industries can take twice as long to fill than the national benchmark average. Employers hope that this urgent need for talent with the right skills, education, training, and experience will encourage more professionals to enter the analytics field.
Featured Analytics Programs
Considering a graduate degree in data analytics? Northeastern offers more opportunities for you to learn how big data is transforming business as we know it, and the practical skills on how to apply it to a wide range of industries. Earn a master’s degree or professional certificate to add value in your current job or prepare yourself for a better one.
Master of Professional Studies in Analytics
A master’s degree in analytics from the College of Professional studies is one way to acquire in-demand skills that you can take into a job and begin contributing immediately. You’ll work on real-world examples to build a portfolio of experiences that reflect the depth of your understanding, including collecting, modeling, and structuring data. Students graduate into the larger support network of industry leaders and peers.
Learn more about the Master of Professional Studies in Analytics
Master of Science in Business Analytics
There’s no ignoring the impact data analytics—or big data—is having on the world today. With a master’s degree in Business Analytics from Northeastern’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business, you’ll gain practical experience in the application of analytics across a wide range of industries. There will be an emphasis on mining data and connecting insights to real-world marketing strategies. Data analytics is still an emerging science, poised to grow exponentially in the years to come.
Learn more about the Master of Science in Business Analytics
Master of Science in Data Analytics Engineering
The Master of Science in Data Analytics Engineering is ideal for those who wish to develop expertise in the analysis and optimization of data to solve problems and support decision-making. You will build on your existing engineering or science foundation to gain employment at businesses of all kinds to improve their products, processes, systems, and enterprises, all through the power of optimization, statistics, machine learning, and visualization.
Learn more about the Master of Science in Data Analytics Engineering
Master of Science in Data Science
The Master of Science in Data Science (MSDS) is an interdisciplinary program between Khoury College of Computer Sciences and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) in the College of Engineering. An extensive core curriculum—designed jointly by Khoury College of Computer Sciences and ECE faculty—enables you to develop depth in computational modeling, data collection and integration, data storage and retrieval, data processing, modeling and analytics, and visualization. Plus, electives from Khoury College of Computer Sciences, the College of Engineering, or a Northeastern partner college provide an opportunity to explore key contextual areas or more complex technical applications.
Learn more about the Master of Science in Data Science
Master of Professional Studies in Applied Machine Intelligence
Can you see yourself solving problems and supporting decisions for products and services, by leading an enterprise with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning? Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are playing an increasingly important role in enterprises, in the private and public sector. Gartner estimates that AI will create 2.3 million jobs by 2020! Our Master of Professional Studies in Applied Machine Intelligence combines the disciplines of applied machine learning and artificial intelligence, data management, data analysis, and data visualization to teach students to solve business problems within the quickly growing field of artificial intelligence.
Learn more about the Master of Professional Studies in Applied Machine Intelligence
Master of Science in Geospatial Services
Trend data suggests that geographic information technology (GIT) is related to the overall increase in interest in big data analytics. With a master’s degree in Geospatial Services you will learn how to produce, aggregate, and manipulate geographic/spatial data in order to drive decisions or services in any number of fields or industries. Our students develop skills to derive value from geospatial datasets through database development and cloud-based deployments, GIS, earth-observed analytics and tools, machine learning, data visualization with applications in internet GIS, business intelligence, crisis and crime mapping, precision agriculture, and disaster response management.
Learn more about the Master of Science in Geospatial Services
Master of Science in Health Informatics
With the Master of Science in Health Informatics, an interdisciplinary program between Khoury College of Computer Sciences and the Bouvé College of Health Sciences, you will gain the knowledge and skills to use information technology to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. Whether you’re looking to expand current job responsibilities or launch a new career, the program allows you to tailor the coursework to fit your background and advance your career in this growing field.
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