LAK17: Writing Analytics Literacy – Bridging from Research to Practice

Introduction

Vancouver, Full Day Workshop – March 14th 2017

Broadly defined, writing analytics involves the measurement and analysis of written texts for the purpose of understanding writing processes and products, in their educational contexts. Writing analytics are ultimately aimed at improving the educational contexts in which writing is most prominent. The principal goal of writing analytics is to move beyond assessment of texts divorced from contexts, transitioning instead to a more nuanced investigation of how analytics may be effectively deployed in different writing contexts. Writing analytics thus aims to employ learning analytics to develop a deeper understanding of writing skills.

There is untapped potential in achieving the full impact of learning analytics through the integration of tools into practical pedagogic contexts. To meet this potential, more work must be conducted to support educators in developing learning analytics literacy. The proposed workshop addresses this need by building capacity in the learning analytics community and developing an approach to resourcing for building ‘writing analytics literacy’.

The workshop will be targeted at:

  1. Providing a tutorial regarding key tools for writing analytics research and practice, highlighting existing tools, resources, and practices
  2. Building a resource bank of sample datasets from which learning vignettes might be developed
  3. Creating a ‘wish list’ of resources to support practitioners in their learning analytics literacy around writing, including developing a framework describing the kinds of pedagogic contexts in which particular tools might be integrated.

The workshop thus proposes to provide both hands-on tutorial elements, and resource-creation.


Photo credit: Vancouver sunrise 2014 by Gord McKenna, under a CC-BY-ND-NC license

CfP & Important Dates

Rationale

Program

Organisers

Workshop output