Workplace learning analytics in higher engineering education

Abstract

Learning in the workplace is crucial in higher engineering education, since it allows students to transfer knowledge and skills from university to professional engineering practice. Learning analytics endeavors in higher education have primarily focused on classroom-based learning. Recently, workplace learning analytics has become an emergent research area, with target users being workers, students and trainers. We propose technology for workplace learning analytics that allows program managers of higher engineering education programs to get insight into the workplace learning of their students, while ensuring privacy of students' personal data by design. Using a design-based agile methodology, we designed and developed a customizable workplace learning dashboard. From the evaluation with program managers in the computing domain, we can conclude that such technology is feasible and promising. The proposed technology was designed to be generalizable to other (engineering) domains. A next logical step would be to evaluate and improve the proposed technology within other engineering domains.