A Dataset for Studying the History of Learning Analytics
A full-day workshop at LAK 2027 launching an open dataset of all LAK and JLA publications, with a day to put your own questions to it.
A full-day, hands-on workshop at LAK 2027 in Recife, Brazil. Room and date to be announced. Organised by Daniel Ebbert and Srecko Joksimovic, Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning, Adelaide University.
On this page: What is this workshop? · The dataset · What we found · Who should come · Schedule · What to bring · What you will leave with · Practicalities and FAQ · Contact
What is this workshop?
Every publication from the International Conference on Learning Analytics & Knowledge (LAK) and the Journal of Learning Analytics (JLA) since their inception, assembled in one open dataset: primary sources, metadata, incoming and outgoing citations, and problem statements manually extracted from each paper and coded by question type.
We have already used the dataset for one analysis, examining the kinds of questions the field has asked over time. We will present it at the workshop as an example of what the dataset affords.
The rest of the day belongs to your questions. You will form small groups, scope a question the dataset can support, and start working on it before the day is out.
The dataset
What is in it. All LAK and JLA publications: primary sources, metadata, incoming and outgoing citations, and problem statements manually extracted and coded by question type, following Dillon’s classification of research questions (1984).
Who maintains it. The Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning at Adelaide University, with a yearly update commitment.
Access. Access to the dataset is provided during the workshop.
What we found
Our exemplar analysis asked what kinds of questions the field has asked across the history of LAK and JLA. The result: research remains concentrated on describing and relating educational phenomena, with comparatively limited attention to explanation and intervention. We argue this reflects a socio-technical misalignment between analytical innovation and the institutional structures required to sustain it, not a failure of the research community.
The dataset answered our question. Now it can answer yours.
Who should come
You, if you hold questions about how learning analytics has developed that you have not had the data to pursue. In particular:
- Learning analytics researchers conducting meta-research or field-level analysis.
- Early-career researchers and PhD candidates seeking systematic positioning and gap-finding for their work.
We anticipate 20 to 30 participants, small enough for focused group work with direct access to the dataset.
Schedule
A hands-on day in English, moving through five blocks from framing to collaborative work. See the Schedule page for the full programme; times are approximate until the conference programme is final.
What to bring
- A laptop and charger.
- Some coding skills for analysis. The collaborative blocks involve working with the dataset directly.
What you will leave with
- Persistent access to the dataset.
- Scoped research questions you care about.
- Collaborator connections.
- Planned routes to paper submissions.
- The post-workshop synthesis, compiled by the organisers and shared with all participants.
Practicalities and FAQ
- Format. Full day, hands-on, in English.
- Where and when. LAK 2027 in Recife, Brazil; room and exact date to be announced.
- Registration. Through LAK registration.
- Will the dataset remain available? Yes. It is maintained and updated yearly by the Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning at Adelaide University.
Contact
- Daniel Ebbert, daniel.ebbert@adelaide.edu.au
- Srecko Joksimovic, srecko.joksimovic@adelaide.edu.au