Berlin / Saarbrücken (GER), December 2017 - LISA, short for Learning Analytics for Sensor-Based Adaptive Learning, is a project whose focus is delivering learning analytics for the benefit of the individual learner, not - as in previous approaches - for the educational organisation. The idea is that when individuals can see the role of their own behaviour plays in the learning process and receive personalized recommendations about it, they will be in a position to organize their personal learning processes better and improve their success.
To help achieve this, the LISA research project, funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), is developing sensors that measure the learner's personal situation at any point in time. This even includes whether the spatial environment and stress situation are suitable for learning and dealing with a topic in depth.
To measure the data, LISA is developing and using special hardware and software sensors that are similar to fitness tracking devices. For example, the LISA Smart Monitor measures learning times and various learning activities over time, as well as the individual’s moods and ability to concentrate during the learning process. When these values are linked with software that looks at learning progress, information is generated that, for example, supports learners in planning the times during which they learn or helps them adapt to a given learning situation.
By analyzing learning behavior and giving learners feedback, it becomes possible to implement didactic concepts based on principles of self-directed learning and to support it with technology. In the context of LISA, feedback that is automatically generated in the form of personalized recommendations, game elements, visualizations of learning status, and adaptability mechanisms plays a decisive role.
Volker Zimmermann, Managing Director of NEOCOSMO and a LISA research partner says, "Data related to personal learning progress belongs first and foremost to the learner, not the educational organization. This is why we in the LISA research project find it important to view learning analytics differently than was the case in previous research. We believe that the data generated should benefit the learner, and we have no interest in supporting evaluation and tracking at the organizational level. This is of utmost importance to us. We find that it makes sense to make recommendations for individuals as to how to adapt their learning behavior in accordance with their progress."
During the development and testing of solutions, foreseeable ethical, legal, social, and organisational requirements are discussed in the context of the various project components in order to formulate statements regarding the solutions’ acceptance and applicability. The focus is on the security of the learning data and the protection of privacy.
LISA’s initial preliminary results will be presented at LEARNTEC 2018. Prototypes will be exhibited at the NEOCOSMO stand in Hall 2 K30 and elsewhere, and representatives of the scientific partners will be available to answer questions.
LISA’s partner institutions are
Prof. Dr. Albrecht Fortenbacher from the University of Applied Sciences for Technology and Business Berlin (HTW Berlin) will explain the LISA project (in German) at the LEARNTEC Convention on 30 January 2018, from 12.15 to 13.00 pm.
