First steps towards a social learning analytics for online communities of practice for educators

Abstract

Learning analytics has the potential to provide actionable insights for managers of online communities of practice. Because the purposes of such communities and the patterns of activity that might further them are diverse, a wider range of methods may be needed than in formal educational settings. This paper describes the proposed learning analytics approach of the U. S. Department of Education's Connected Educatorsproject, and presents preliminary applications of social network analysis to the National Science Teachers Association Learning Center as an illustration.