Evaluating a Learning Analytics Dashboard to Visualize Student Self-Reports of Time-on-task: A Case Study in a Latin American University

Abstract

In recent years, instructional design has become even more challenging for teaching staff members in higher education institutions. If instructional design causes student overload, it could lead to superficial learning and decreased student well-being. A strategy to avoid overload is reflecting upon the effectiveness of teaching practices in terms of time-on-task. This article presents a Work-In-Progress conducted to provide teachers with a dashboard to visualize student self-reports of time-on-task regarding subject activities. A questionnaire was applied to 15 instructors during a set trial period to evaluate the perceived usability and usefulness of the dashboard. Preliminary findings reveal that the dashboard helped instructors became aware about the number of hours spent outside of class time. Furthermore, data visualizations of time-on-task evidence enabled them to redesign subject activities. Currently, the dashboard has been adopted by 106 engineering instructors. Future work involves the development of a framework to incorporate user-based improvements.