Managing and analyzing student learning data: a python-based solution for edX

Abstract

Online learning platforms, such as edX, generate usage statistics data that can be valuable to educators. However, handling this raw data can prove challenging and time consuming for instructors and course designers. The raw data for the MIT courses running on the edX platform (MITx courses) are pre-processed and stored in a Google BigQuery database. We designed a tool based on Python and additional open-source Python packages such as Jupyter Notebook, to enable instructors to analyze their student data easily and securely. We expect that instructors would be encouraged to adopt more evidence-based teaching practices based on their interaction with the data.