Enhancing Quality Assurance: Integrating a Learning Design Tool and Learning Analytics

Prof. dr. sc. Blaženka Divjak and Prof. dr. sc. Valentina Kirinić, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Organization and Informatics, Croatia

Sound learning design (LD) is one of the most important prerequisites for high-quality teaching and learning and trustworthy learning analytics (LA). At the same time, meaningful LA can provide a useful basis for enhancement and upgrading of LD. This two-way process can be supported by a collaborative LD tool, in particular the Balanced Learning Design Planning (BDP) tool (learning-design.eu).

The objective of this workshop is twofold: 

• Firstly (2-3pm), we will acquaint participants with the innovative, collaborative, free-to-use BDP LD tool and demonstrate its capabilities. 
• Secondly (3-4pm), participants will dive into advanced LD analytics, utilizing the tool to actively refine the LD of their courses, programs, or quality assurance strategies, while interpreting the LA data it generates. This hands-on session aims to empower educators to substantially enhance their courses and comprehend the integral role of design analytics in ensuring educational quality.
  • To get the most out of this session, please bring your laptop/tablet!

Following this, you are invited to stay for informal conversation (possibly extending to the pub!) to share experiences, research challenges and opportunities at the intersection of LA+LD.

Biographies

Prof. dr. sc. Blaženka Divjak, PhD, is a Full Professor of Mathematics and Information Science at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Organization and Informatics. She served as Vice-Rector for students and study programs at the University of Zagreb (2010-2014) and was the Croatian Minister of Science and Education (2017-2020). She chaired the EU Council of ministers for education and for research and space during the Croatian presidency (2020). She has been a coordinator/researcher in over 30 (inter)national projects. Currently, she coordinates the "Innovating Learning Design in Higher Education" Erasmus+ project, as well as the “Trustworthy Learning Analytics and Artificial Intelligence for Meaningful Learning Design” project funded by the Croatian Science Foundation. She has led the research group designing the concept and the accompanying Balanced Learning Design Planning tool, used in more than 30 countries. She is a Vice-President of SOLAR and a member of the Advisory Board of GRAILE. Her area of expertise, besides mathematics, includes curriculum development, e-learning, learning design, assessment, learning analytics, strategic decision-making and AI in education. email: blazenka.divjak@foi.unizg.hr

Prof. Valentina Kirinić, PhD, is a Full Professor and a researcher in information science at University of Zagreb, Faculty of Organization and Informatics, Department of Information Systems Development, Varaždin, Croatia. Her research interests comprise quality management, software product quality evaluation, digital competence, information literacy, ICT in education and models/frameworks of ICT professions. She is a member of the Program and Organizing committees of the Central European Conference on Information and Intelligent Systems (CECIIS), serving as a co-editor of the CECIIS Proceedings in the years 2015-2020. She has been involved in many international and national projects dealing with digital technologies and/in education and related competences (e.g. project e-Schools: Development of the System of Digitally Mature Schools). email: valentina.kirinic@foi.unizg.hr