Evaluation of Leaning Unit Design Using Page Flip Information Analysis

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors attempted to evaluate design of leaning units using learning analytics techniques on page flip information. Traditional formative assessment is carried out by giving assignments and evaluating their results; however, the information the teacher can get from this method is limited and coarse-grained. The authors set a research question whether one can evaluate the relation between specific learning objectives of learning units and the learners’ actual activities in the units based on page flip histories. The experimental results showed that the intensity of relations between the assignments and learning materials was different for each unit; quantitatively, the correlation coefficients between “p-value of chi-squared tests between range of page flip count and grade on assignments” and “ratio of number of questions in an assessment with reference pages” was −0.889. With this relation established, the authors attempted to evaluate unit design and found that the critical factor for getting a high grade was how many times they referred to their textbook, although this assignment was designed to assess learners’ ability to use or apply learned knowledge. If the teacher can get such suggestions as feedback, it is possible to utilize them for formative assessment.