Degree Pictures: Visualizing the University Student Journey

Abstract

The field of Learning Analytics is progressing at a rapid rate. New tools, with ever-increasing number of features and a plethora of data-sets that are increasingly utilized demonstrate the evolution and multifaceted nature of the field. In particular, the depth and scope of insight that can be gleaned from analysing related data-sets can have a significant, and positive, effect in educational practices. We introduce the concept of Degree Pictures, a symbolic overview of students’ achievement. Degree Pictures are small visualizations that depict graphically 16 categories of overall student achievement, over the duration of a Higher Education course. They offer a quick summary of students’ achievement and are intended to initiate appropriate responses, such as teaching and pastoral interventions. This can address the subjective nature of assessment, by providing a method for educators to calibrate their own marking practices by showing an overview of any cohort. We present a prototype implementation of Degree Pictures, which was evaluated within our School of Computer Science, with favourable results.