Learning Support Systems Based on Cohesive Learning Analytics

Abstract

E-learning systems have become indispensable in educational institutions (Alsabawy, Cater-Steel, & Soar, 2013). The Learning Management System (LMS), the Course Management System (CMS), or the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), is one such e-learning system and it is widely accepted in higher education (Islam, 2015). LMSs are used for facilitating e-learning. The LMS process is used to store and disseminate educational material and to support administration and communication associated with teaching and learning (McGill & Klobas, 2009). Ubiquitous technology is effective in enhancing the effects of the LMS and VLE on learning performance (Yin et al., 2015; Yamada et al., 2016). By using logs stored in the server, information technologies allow instructors to understand student learning behaviors. By using various data from sources such as the logs, learning analytics research contributes to the clarification and improvement of education and the learning environment (e.g., Ifenthalar, 2015; Ogata et al., 2015). To support student learning, revealing its patterns by using learning analytics methods might be useful. For example, Oi and her colleagues (Oi et al., 2015; Oi, Okubo, Shimada, Yin, & Ogata, 2015; Oi, Yamada, Okubo, Shimada, & Ogata, 2017) investigated the relationship between the use of e-books outside the classroom and academic achievement. They categorized e-book logs from the e-book delivery system as follows: If a log was recorded before a class session in which the same e-book was used as the textbook, it was labeled a preview log, and if after, a review log. As pointed out by Ausubel (1960) in his classical study, if a student gains knowledge of the contents of a course by performing a preview, it may help the student’s learning in the classroom by acting as an advance organizer. Performing a review may facilitate memory consolidation by working as a rehearsal of the contents of the course. The main findings are as follows: (1) The preview is more deeply related with academic achievement than the review (Oi, Okubo