OLDaily

Metrics in Learning Analytics
Aaron Silvers, MakingBetter, 2021/01/26

This is just a short article and mostly a promo for blog posts to come, but it does contain a point that should be highlighted (indeed, Aaron Silvers puts it in all caps in the post): "counts are not analytics". Sure, we need to count things - numbers of hours, how many replies, h-index, and the like. The analysis depends on choosing the right metrics, understanding what story they tell ("All models are wrong, but some are useful."), and comprehending what follows by implication, given the wider context and history of the person in question. That's why I often say connections count more than quantities. Meaning matters more than mass. I know Silvers gets this, but his challenge will be in how clearly he can express it.

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Creating Rich Transcripts for Career Activation
Fred Cutler, Inside Higher Ed, 2021/01/26

The only time I think I have ever used an academic transcript when when I was applying for admission to an academic program (specifically, PhD studies at the University of Alberta). Beyond that, the most my employers ever wanted from my school was confirmation that I actually did earn the degree I said I earned. They were more interested in my extracurricular activities - things like summer jobs, working on the student newspaper, or my terms as graduate student president. I don't think anyone other than I and a few U of A professors ever actually saw my final undergrad year grade point average (and I imagine they were probably more interested in the reference letters). So it's hard for me to be convinced by the case being made in this article that there is a need for a transcript containing word clouds, assignment totals, and skills inventories. I mean, from my perspective, the most such a transcript could do is harm me.

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The Hidden Costs of Connectivity: Nature and Effects of Scholars’ Online Harassment
George Veletsianos, 2021/01/26

This blog post describes a paper (36 page PDF) by a group of authors describing "the factors and triggers involved in scholars’ experiences of online harassment; the environments where said experiences take place, and the consequences it has for personal and professional relationships." It's in the Standard Model: a literature review, conceptual framework, and 38-question survey sampling 182 individuals (more than normal for education research, but still far too few to justify quantitative conclusions (that is, conclusions using terms like 'most', 'common', 'varies by', 'demonstrate the connection between', 'least likely', or 'often'). As a result of this study, we can say, for example, that "there are cases where scholars’ online harassment began with their work", but not how often this happens nor how common this is. Yes, I imagine it's pretty common, but this study does not prove that it it, only that it exists (and therefore maybe should be rather more broadly and systematically studied).

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https://blogs.cisco.com/education/how-to-build-the-next-campus
Heather Keleher, Cisco Blogs, 2021/01/26

I'm not sure I would want the creators of Webex to design the capus of the future. Webex was so widely disliked it single-handed led to the revolution in videoconferencing by sending users fleeing to Zoom. We had a corporate Webex platform available at the start of the pandemic but have been using Zoom, Teams, even Google Meet (all of which I used this morning in back-to-back-to-back meetings), anything but Webex. It should have taught Cisco something. At least there's a free version you can use, which is a start (you have to create an account and tell them where you are). But is the future of the campus really based on how to "update classrooms to be inclusive for virtual learners" or "integrate your Learning Management System with your collaboration technology"? Anyhow, the article points you to a 'next campus story' (complete with flippy pages) that will eventually (if you look for it) lead to their build a flexible campus page (though the 'start building' link leads to an error 404).

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From Rugged Individualism to Self-Organized Connected Communities
Beth Tener, Networkweaver, 2021/01/26

A lot of what I do focuses on enhancing personal capacities. For example, I argue that things like critical thinking and design skills can greatly augment a person's ability to grow and shape society. At the same time it's important to be wary of what's called in this article "the myth of the rugged individual." Beth Tener writes, "There is nothing that exists outside the influence of what already is. For any system to form and persist, it requires its own particular nurturing environment. " This is quite true, which is why I also talk about "the development of collaborative networks along with the collective capacity of communities and those working on similar work to self-organize." I think we need both.

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