“BigDataSmallDataTrendyData”Lewis Carr
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
BackgroundThis presentation and its findings are part of a study I have been conducting for the past year.
With the help from the UK Moodle Community, FE Colleges, ex-colleagues, work-based learning providers, small businesses, friends and well wishers.
Goals of the Project:To find out how we are really using Moodle and how we can use data to make predictions and shape the future of our online delivery.
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
Big Data and Industry AnalyticsHow my digital profile knows more about me than...me!
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
Have I sold my soul to the data mining devil?
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
Supermarket AnalyticsHow my physical footprint leaves a digital footprint
And even how the weather influences what I buy
Supermarket chains now receive detailed data on 2/3 of all shopping baskets.
Such data shapes our spending habits and build customer profiles.
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
Did you know?
When UK Temperatures rise 4c
Beef burger sales increase by 42%
When UK Weekend Temperatures rise 10c rise
BBQ meat sales increase 300% & Coleslaw by 50%.
Demand for vegetables drops 25%
Cold weather increases sales of cauliflower soup, long life milk, sausages and root vegetables.
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
Moodle DataMoodle is a data mining beast.
The log files alone provide a wealth of information that allows us to draw conclusions and make learner predictions.
Interest in learning analytics has been fuelled partly by the recent rise in popularity of MOOCs.
MOOCs generate enormous sets of learner activity data that can be used to develop analytics.
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
What I tried to discover
Which tools are used most?
Which tools are most preferred by learners?
When do teachers create content?
How often do users login to Moodle?
When do learners access courses?
What is the most engaging Moodle tool?
...what does the online behaviour of an active student look like?
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
Most popular resources (hits)Assignment 46%
File 28%
URL 9%
Forum 8%
Quiz 4%
Folder 3%
Lesson 2%
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
So we need to create more files and Assignments? And less quizzes and lessons right?
WRONG.Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
Most engaging resources (resource count/no.of resources)
Assignment 29%
Quiz 26%
Lesson 21%
Forum 11%
Folder 6%
File 4%
URL 3%
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
Building a better picture
Files are popular with students simply due to the sheer number of them.
Often it is all a student has access to.
Quizzes, lessons and forums have a much higher “hit rate” when we compare averages.
(Hits / number of resources)
Students tend to revisit quizzes and lessons more than they do files.
Proving that self-assessment increases learner engagement.
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
What is the most engaging tool in use on Moodle?
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
MessagingAstonishingly, Moodle messaging is 4x more engaging for learners than any other course tool
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
When are teachers building course content?
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
When are teachers building course content?
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Start of Term
Christmas
Start of Term
Exams
Holidays
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
Some other useful discoveries
On mature Moodle sites (3 years plus)
Resources (file uploads) decrease annually by 15%
On mature Moodle sites (3 years plus)
The creation of other activities decreases by 2%
-15% -2%
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
Course Activity by students
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
Course Activity by students
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Assignments!!
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
Our top 50 learners (most loyal customers)
Our most active/engaged learners access 13 courses on average
13courses
91days
Our most active/engaged learners access Moodle 91 days in the year
(twice per week, more during term time)
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
Site Logins
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
Interesting discovery
Logins double in the second year of running Moodle
x2logins
3years
Logins average out on Moodle sites that have been running longer than 3 years.
The trend/shape of the graph is almost a mirror image of the previous year.
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
What does all this data tell us?
We need to adapt messaging into our teaching practices
and activities
We need more quizzes, lessons
and forums
Moodle usage is driven by term
calendars
We need more student engagement in Dec, April & June
Supermarket Strategies - getting to know your customers better
Strategy 1
Customer-driven offers and promotions.
Strategy 2
Improving aisle layouts and planograms with market basket analysis.
Strategy 3
Shelf life management and replenishment planning.
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
e-Learning Strategies - getting to know your students better
Strategy 1
Student-driven landing pages, conditional release of content and better notifications.
Strategy 2
Improving course layouts with Moodle usage reports & analysis.
Strategy 3
Course content management and replenishment planning. Deciding what resources suit which learners and when to release them.
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr
Corporate Use of Moodle
Learners enrolled on an average of just 2
courses
Quizzes (70%), SCORM (20%) & forums the most popular tool used
Logins consistent throughout the year except Dec & July
Learners engagement
between 30 and 40 days
End of Presentation
Lewis Carr | @lewiscarr