Learning analytics for enhanced professional capital development: a systematic review

Background/Motivation

This article presents a systematic review aimed at examining the utilization of learning analytics (LA) to enhance teachers' professional capital.

Aim

The study focuses on three primary research questions: (1) exploring the characteristics and approaches of LA in professional capital, (2) investigating suggestions from LA for assessing and improving professional capital, and (3) examining variables studied in enhancing the most intricate dimension of professional capital using LA.

Methodology

To address the research objectives, a systematic review was conducted focusing on the key concepts "learning analytics" and "professional capital." Following the procedures outlined encompassed in four stages: identification, screening, inclusion, and adequacy. The PRISMA 2009 protocol guided the systematic review process.

Principal findings

The findings of the study underscore the efficacy of LA as a catalyst for improving professional capital, particularly through collaborative learning and the utilization of tools like forums and online learning platforms. Social capital emerges as a pivotal component in integrating diverse types of professional capital, fostering opportunities for knowledge creation and social networking.

Conclusion/Significance

In conclusion, the study highlights the paramount significance of addressing teachers' professional capital development through collaborative approaches and leveraging technology, particularly in primary education. The article concludes by emphasizing the imperative for more research and knowledge dissemination in this field, aiming to ensure equity in learning and address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The impact of professional learning communities on pre-service teachers' professional commitment

While in-service teachers' professional commitment has gained significant attention in recent years, researches on pre-service teachers' professional commitment is still insufficient, particularly with regard to the effect that professional learning communities play on pre-service teachers' professional commitment. In this context, this study employed mixed methods to investigate the impact of workshops for teaching competitions as a professional learning community on pre-service teachers' professional commitment in China. A questionnaire survey was administered to pre-service teachers who had workshop experiences (n = 43) and their classmates who did not have workshop experiences (n = 98) to examine the effect of workshops for teaching competitions as a professional learning community on pre-service teachers' professional commitment. Follow-up qualitative interviews with 5 pre-service teachers with workshop experiences were conducted to explain the reasons behind such effects. The results showed that workshop experiences had significant and positive effects on pre-service teachers' professional commitment and the characteristics of shared vision, collaboration, and reflective dialogue affected their professional commitment from three perspectives: commitment to teaching as a career, personal time investment, and interest in professional development.

Exploring Online Participation and Discussion in an Online Professional Learning Activity on Twitter

BACKGROUND

Twitter offers opportunities to share resources, engage in online discussions, and network with other professionals. In medical education, Twitter is also being used for professional development. Little is known about the level of engagement in topical chats related to medical education. This study explores how medical educators participated and engaged in Twitter-facilitated discussion activity using #MedEdChat.

METHODS

All twitter chat transcripts using the hashtag #MedEdChat from Thursday night synchronous discussions were collected between January and December 2019. A total of 37 discussion topics were included. To answer the first research question about the overall participation, descriptive statistics were used to analyze the number of participants, posts, retweets, and interactions for each week's discussion. To answer the second question about types of discussion participants engaged in during weekly chats, a combination of top-down and bottom-up coding strategy was adopted with three categories: functional, social, and content.

RESULTS

This study identified five themes from #MedEdChat discussions: curriculum, faculty development, scholarship, assessment, and general medical education topics. All discussions had an average of 26 participants, with an average of 145 total posts, including 37 original posts, 52 retweets, and 56 interactions (mentions or replies using @). In terms of types of discussion, content-related tweets were most frequently posted, followed by functional and social tweets.

CONCLUSION

By identifying the patterns of participation and content of discussions, preliminary findings suggest implications for future study to further explore the social interactions and knowledge building processes among online participants in the Twitter-facilitated medical education online community.