Article: A framework for co-designing effective LADs supporting sensemaking and decision making Journal: International Journal of Learning Technology (IJLT) 2024 Vol.19 No.1 pp.109 - 130 Abstract: Learning analytics dashboards (LAD) deserve increasing attention, yet their adoption remains limited. Designing effective LAD is a difficult process, and LADs often fail in turning insights into action. We argue that providing explicit decision-making features in a participatory design process may help to develop LADs supporting action. We first examine how the decision-making process is reflected on LADs. Second, we review the literature to identify major design space dimensions and examine how to include decision-making features. Third, we propose the DEFLAD design framework to synthesise this review which provides explicit decision-making features in three dimensions: goal expression as a situation awareness level, visualisation and related interactions, as support of decision-making process. Fourth, we consider how this framework is involved through every stage of a human-centred design (HCD) process to express and manage such features. The main contribution of this paper is to provide a framework integrating the decision-making features in a participatory design process of LADs. Furthermore, we demonstrate the implementation of our proposals through the development of a card-based toolkit to assist in the ideation phase of participatory design, and present feedback from participants of a workshop utilising this tool as a proof of concept. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: A framework for co-designing effective LADs supporting sensemaking and decision making

Authors: Jean-Marie Gilliot; Madjid Sadallah

Addresses: Lab-STICC UMR CNRS 6285, IMT Atlantique, F-29238 Brest, France ' Lab-STICC UMR CNRS 6285, IMT Atlantique, F-29238 Brest, France

Abstract: Learning analytics dashboards (LAD) deserve increasing attention, yet their adoption remains limited. Designing effective LAD is a difficult process, and LADs often fail in turning insights into action. We argue that providing explicit decision-making features in a participatory design process may help to develop LADs supporting action. We first examine how the decision-making process is reflected on LADs. Second, we review the literature to identify major design space dimensions and examine how to include decision-making features. Third, we propose the DEFLAD design framework to synthesise this review which provides explicit decision-making features in three dimensions: goal expression as a situation awareness level, visualisation and related interactions, as support of decision-making process. Fourth, we consider how this framework is involved through every stage of a human-centred design (HCD) process to express and manage such features. The main contribution of this paper is to provide a framework integrating the decision-making features in a participatory design process of LADs. Furthermore, we demonstrate the implementation of our proposals through the development of a card-based toolkit to assist in the ideation phase of participatory design, and present feedback from participants of a workshop utilising this tool as a proof of concept.

Keywords: learning analytics; learning analytics dashboard; design space; sensemaking; decision making; participatory design; human-centred learning analytics.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLT.2024.137899

International Journal of Learning Technology, 2024 Vol.19 No.1, pp.109 - 130

Received: 23 Nov 2022
Received in revised form: 27 Jan 2023
Accepted: 05 Apr 2023
Published online: 08 Apr 2024 *

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Title: A framework for co-designing effective LADs supporting sensemaking and decision making

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