NDLI: Predicting Academic Performance Based on Learner Traces in a Social Learning Environment

Content Provider	Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
Author	Elvira Popescu Florin Leon
Abstract	Predictive modeling is an important part of learning analytics, whose main objective is to estimate student success, in terms of performance, knowledge, score, or grade. The data used for the predictive model can be either state-based data (e.g., demographics, psychological traits, and past performance) or event-driven data (i.e., based on student activity). The latter can be derived from students’ interactions with educational systems and resources; learning management systems are a widely analyzed data source, while social media-based learning environments are scarcely explored. In this paper, our objective is to predict students’ performance based on their social media traces. Data is collected from a Web Applications Design course, in which students use wiki, blog, and microblogging tools, for communication and collaboration activities in a project-based learning scenario. A total of 343 students, from six consecutive course installments, are included in the study. In addition to the novel settings and performance indicators, an innovative regression algorithm is used for grade prediction. Very good correlation coefficients are obtained and 85% of predictions are within one point of the actual grade, outperforming classic regression algorithms. From a pedagogical perspective, results indicate that, as a general rule, a higher engagement with social media tools correlates with a higher final grade.
e-ISSN	21693536
DOI	10.1109/ACCESS.2018.2882297
Journal	IEEE Access
Volume Number	6
Language	English
Publisher	IEEE
Publisher Date	2018-01-01
Publisher Place	United States
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	Electrical Engineering. Electronics. Nuclear Engineering Learning Analytics Performance Prediction Large Margin Nearest Neighbor Regression Social Learning Environment Social Media
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in