1. SoLAR symposium, Open U., 26 June 2012
Prototyping Learning Power
Modelling in SocialLearn
Shaofu Huang
PhD student, Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol, UK
SocialLearn intern, Open University
supervised by Simon Buckingham Shum and Rebecca Ferguson
1

2. The story in 1 slide…
Learning Dispositions: the appetite and capacity to learn at any
opportunity is vital
This can be assessed as a construct called “Learning Power” (LP)
SocialLearn learning analytics open a new opportunity to know
learners from what they do
We are prototyping a LP model based only on learner activities to
explore what this can achieve and its limitations
2

3. learning
dispositions
3

4. What do we mean by “disposition”?
• a relatively enduring tendency to behave in a certain
way
• but there are varying conceptions as to how fixed or
malleable dispositions are
Our focus is on malleable dispositions
that are important for developing
intentional learners, and which,
critically, learners can recognise and
develop in themselves
Deakin Crick R. (2011) Student Engagement: Identity, Learning Power and Enquiry - A Complex Systems Approach. In: Christenson S,
7

5. ELLI: Effective Lifelong Learning Inventory
8

6. Learning to Learn: 7 Dimensions of “Learning Power”
Being Stuck & Static Changing & Learning
Data Accumulation Meaning Making
Passivity Critical Curiosity
Being Rule Bound Creativity
Isolation & Dependence Learning Relationships
Being Robotic Strategic Awareness
Fragility & Dependence Resilience

7. Learning to Learn: 7 Dimensions of Learning Power
Factor analysis of the literature plus expert interviews: identified seven dimensions
of effective “learning power”, since validated empirically with learners at many

8. Learning to Learn: 7 Dimensions of Learning Power
Factor analysis of the literature plus expert interviews: identified seven dimensions
of effective “learning power”, since validated empirically with learners at many

9. Immediate feedback enabling timely reflection and interventions, via a mentored discussion
ELLI profile showing pre/post change
17

10. Cohort analytics for educators
and organizational leaders
18

11. learning power
modelling in SocialLearn
19

12. SocialLearn provides new possibilities of
looking at learners learning
We listened to what they
think they do Now we can observe what
20

13. ELLI feedbacks inform development of learning
Educator or
leader’s
interventions
Mentored
discussions
21

14. How about SocialLearn
learning disposition analytics (LDA)?
How do these
feedbacks help
people learn?
What and where What kind of feedback
should we look at? should we provide?
Will we still have What is the most
seven dimensions?
Focus of this study
22

15. So…what are we
doing in the study?
24

16. Preparation:
Three types of data on SocailLearn for LDA
• Activity logs of every action learners do to the system
• Network information that can be revealed from
relationships between contents or users
• Discourses that can be found in text content input by
learners
• This study is mainly looking at activity logs but may use
very basic network information
23

17. Preparation:
Developed a view about where and what to look based on
previous research about ELLI.
25

18. Preparation:
Learnt from developer’s perspective about what are
available there in the database
26

19. A sample coding sheet
27

20. Working flow overview
from feature list to widget design
26

21. Some initial observations
and reflections
30

22. N of links coded by two interpreters
Interpreter 1 (321 links made)
Changing & Meaning Critical Learning Strategic
Creativity Resilience
Learning Making Curiosity Relationships Awareness
+ 29 80 17 9 104 53 3
- 0 0 5 0 10 0 11
Interpreter 2 (913 links made)
Changing & Meaning Critical Learning Strategic
Creativity Resilience
Learning Making Curiosity Relationships Awareness
+ 70 204 116 72 215 146 76
- 0 3 3 1 4 2 1
28

23. 1 .
How much do they agree? 1 1 0
. 0 .
Positive links
Changing & Meaning Critical Learning Strategic
Creativity Resilience
Learning Making Curiosity Relationships Awareness
Agreed 23 64 15 3 94 32 1
Total
links 76 220 118 78 225 167 78
% 30% 29% 13% 4% 42% 19% 1%
Negative links
Changing & Meaning Critical Learning Strategic
Creativity Resilience
Learning Making Curiosity Relationships Awareness
Agreed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total
links 0 3 8 1 14 2 12
28

24. Where are these disagreement coming from?
Let's look at two examples:
ID Feature description Additional conditions Interpreter 1 Interpreter 2
MM, RS, CL, CC, SA, LR,
1004 1 earlier today MM, SA
CR
Update a path I
MM, RS, CL, CC, SA, LR,
1004 2 edited for the last a few days ago MM, SA
CR
time
MM, RS, CL, CC, SA, LR,
1004 3 weeks or months ago MM, CL CR
ID Feature description Additional conditions Interpreter 1 Interpreter 2
1002 1 no one MM MM, RS, CL, CC, SA, CR
1002 2 Share this path to some people MM, LR MM, RS, CL, CC, SA, LR, CR
1002 3 everyone MM, LR MM, RS, CL, CC, SA, LR, CR
28

25. N of links coded in each scenario
Changing & Meaning Critical Learning Strategic
Creativity Resilience
Learning Making Curiosity Relationships Awareness
Profile 14 0 0 2 17 6 0
Recommendations 0 16 15 15 16 16 2
Connections 0 12 12 4 26 8 0
Questions 0 5 33 2 35 2 19
Answers 7 30 2 0 30 15 0
Comments 22 38 0 13 28 9 2
Thoughts 9 15 0 3 16 3 0
Events 0 6 0 0 19 2 0
Tasks 0 17 0 0 22 36 16
Paths 37 62 32 31 45 49 32
Collections 1 33 0 0 13 14 0
Searches 1 41 30 4 43 29 0
Overall patterns 8 9 9 7 9 10 8
28

26. How much is agreed by both in each scenario?
Changing & Meaning Critical Learning Strategic
Creativity Resilience
Learning Making Curiosity Relationships Awareness
Profile 43% 18% 0%
Recommendations 6% 0% 0% 25% 6%
Connections 0% 0% 42% 0%
Questions 20% 45% 37% 5%
Answers 14% 37% 37% 0%
Comments 36% 34% 23% 32% 0%
Thoughts 33% 13% 38%
Events 17% 37%
Tasks 6% 36% 50% 0%
Paths 14% 35% 0% 0% 16% 27% 0%
Collections 30% 31% 0%
Searches 5% 0% 23% 0%
Overall patterns 0% 0% 0% 0% 11% 0% 0%
28

27. Questions and comments
Thank you!
Shaofu Huang
@shaofutw
PhD Student. Researching about authentic pedagogy,
participatory learning and systems thinking.
http://systemslearningandleadership.net
http://learningemergence.net