“The NTU Student Dashboard”
The NTU Student Dashboard is a learning analytics resource for students and relevant staff at Nottingham Trent University (NTU). It has been developed to help students engage more effectively with their studies. The dashboard measures students’ interactions with the academic resources available at NTU, by tracking their digital footprint. This gives an overall picture about each student’s engagement with their course.
The digital footprint uses data from the Virtual Learning Environment and the Library in addition to physical attendance recorded through door swipes and in teaching sessions by an app. Each student receives a criterion-based engagement which they can compare to the course average. We have tested student engagement against student academic outcomes and there is an association between average engagement and both progression from the first year and final year degree attainment. Students with a high average engagement do far better than those with a low average engagement in both progression and attainment. Importantly, having high engagement is a far more powerful predictor of academic success than any background characteristic or entry qualification.
The dashboard has been a collaborative development between academics, IS specialists, educational developers, the Students’ Union and other University experts working with an external technology provider.
