Smart Sparrow Adds Learner Data Analytics

Adaptive learning company Smart Sparrow today launched new learner data analytics features for its learning design platform that provide real-time feedback on student progress and engagement. According to the announcement, the analytics provide "better insight into what elements of a course best engage students, what concepts are challenging students, and where course experiences can be improved" — allowing faculty and instructional designers to adjust instruction course design accordingly.

The system provides three types of "Class Reports" designed to help faculty understand how students are mastering content and how to intervene with those who are struggling. "The analytics enable instructional designers to understand the effectiveness of individual lessons, or activities within lessons, and use that insight to inform continuous lesson improvement," according to the company.

"The Smart Sparrow data analytics give me important insights as to how much time students are spending on a learning task," said Shala Mills, an instructor at Fort Hays State University, in a statement. "In some cases, I find students are breezing through activities that I had hoped would involve more time and reflection. In other cases, I'll be more optimistic about the time it takes students to complete a task than what the data analytics reveal. With real data in hand about the actual time on task, I am able to make important course design changes that will result in the work habits I am looking for in my students."

"We're seeing a growing enthusiasm in higher ed for using data and analytics to inform student advising and early warning systems. But, we can't stop there. Data must inform how we continuously evolve and improve teaching and learning," commented Dror Ben-Naim, founder and CEO of Smart Sparrow. "Better insight into the student experience, coupled with tools that give institutions the ability to design engaging and personalized learning experiences, means faculty no longer have to wait until the end of the semester to understand what's working."

For more information, visit the Smart Sparrow site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Three cubes of noticeably increasing sizes are arranged in a straight row on a subtle abstract background

    A Sense of Scale

    Gardner Campbell explores the notion of scale in education and shares some of his own experience "playing with scale" — scaling up and/or scaling down — in an English course at VCU.

  • AI-inspired background pattern with geometric shapes and fine lines in muted blue and gray on a dark background

    IBM Releases Granite 3.0 Family of Advanced AI Models

    IBM has introduced its most advanced family of AI models to date, Granite 3.0, at its annual TechXchange event. The new models were developed to provide a combination of performance, flexibility, and autonomy that outperforms or matches similarly sized models from leading providers on a range of benchmarks.

  • minimalist bookcase filled with textbooks featuring vibrant, solid-colored spines with no text, and a prominent number "25" displayed on one of the shelves

    OpenStax Celebrates 25th Anniversary

    OpenStax is celebrating its 25th anniversary as 2024 comes to a close. The open educational resources initiative from Rice University has served almost 37 million students in 153 countries and saved students nearly $3 billion in course material costs since its launch in 1999.

  • a professional worker in business casual attire interacting with a large screen displaying a generative AI interface in a modern office

    Study: Generative AI Could Inhibit Critical Thinking

    A new study on how knowledge workers engage in critical thinking found that workers with higher confidence in generative AI technology tend to employ less critical thinking to AI-generated outputs than workers with higher confidence in personal skills.