Challenges and opportunities for learning analytics when formal teaching meets social spaces

Social networking is revolutionizing the world in ways few imagined just a few years ago. The power of social networking technology can also be leveraged to improve education and enhance the instructor and learner experience. Unlike conventional learning management systems, social software environments such as Athabasca Landing provide a persistent space and are flexible enough to support social and learner-led methods of informal, non-formal, and formal learning. Analytics can be used to effectively track and measure personal progress and help uncover extra-curricular factor affecting learner success such as network formation and growth. The paper reports on an attempt to explore this problem through analysis of student behaviour on the Athabasca Landing site within the context of a course. Its findings, explanation, and potential implications are listed. Effects of social learning on learners, based on the learner's behaviour before, during, and after the course are described and discussed. Finally, features of an open source tool created for this analysis, LASSIE is presented.