Analysis of the Level of Maturity in the Adoption of Learning Analytics in Higher Education Institutions in the South and Southeast of Brazil

Abstract

Learning Analytics (LA) seeks to measure, examine and analyze educational data. This field of research has grown rapidly in the last decade, however, studies in several countries show that the adoption of AL is still carried out mainly on a small scale and politely at the administrative level of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The adoption of AL in HEIs is considered a challenging task in the educational environment, as it suggests changes in the organizational structure and encompasses activities in different sectors of the education system. Thus, understanding the level of maturity of AL projects existing in HEIs becomes essential for institutions to be able to expand their projects gradually and efficiently cover all sectors of the education system. Aiming to reach this understanding, this work presents an exploratory study on the level of maturity of AL in HEIs in the regions of the south and southeast of Brazil. Where a data collection instrument was developed with questions adapted from Tsai's study, which seeks to understand what is the state of the art in terms of AL adoption in HEIs in European countries, and the MMALA maturity model. Based on the responses of 40 participants responsible for data from HEIs in the south and southeast of Brazil, where 19 of these HEIs have an AL project in progress, it was possible to verify that AL in Brazil is found on a small scale and sometimes at an institutional level. Of the 40 HEIs surveyed in seven Brazilian states, only 3 of them have some form of AL implemented at an institutional level. With regard to the level of maturity, according to the MMALA process areas, the HEIs are at ad-hoc (level 1) or initial (level 2) levels, in the process areas: Stakeholder training; evaluation of the effectiveness of solutions; and support in the interpretation of results. At level 2 or higher in the processing areas: data quality; data ownership; communication; and legislation, privacy and ethics. And at guaranteed level (level 3) in the process areas of: data acquisition; and leadership. And between high levels (level 3) and systematic (level 4) in: Infrastructure; stakeholder identification and involvement; and pedagogical planning of solutions. In general, we can conclude that the HEIs in the south and southeast of Brazil are advancing in the MMALA process areas, however, this advance occurs in different ways and at different speeds according to each institution, making the HEIs in initial reach in certain areas of the process and at more advanced levels in others.