Greek and Spanish University community perspective of challenges affecting library integration in learning analytics initiatives

Abstract

Seen Learning Analytics as a way to break barriers to intra-institutional collaboration, Higher Education administrators and LIS researchers argue on the purpose of connecting in-library user activity data to student information and learning management systems and on their relevance and potential contribution to library strategic alignment with broader institutional goals. In this realm and framed within a PhD research, this poster provides an overview of preliminary findings relevant to the exploration of the potential of Spanish and Greek Academic Libraries to becoming involved in Learning Analytics initiatives. Library use data integration in Learning Analytics (LLA) systems is nowadays considered by many experts an important part of the contextual integrity maintenance as it could contribute to building more complete learner profiles and marking the beginning of the process of realignment and reorganization toward a structure that supports the university’s academic plan. Based on the assumption that libraries should soon assume their role in the imminent LA related campus-wide transformational change, we collected feedback from the very stakeholders in order to provide a more realistic understanding of the public university library ecosystem’s pain points with a mindset towards the LLA (Library in Learning Analytics) scenario that is already becoming mainstream in North America. Design/Methodology: Providing an overview of semi-structured interview findings, taking place at five (5) academic libraries, relevant to the exploration of the potential of Spanish and Greek Information Commons to becoming involved in learning analytics initiatives, this study attempts bringing, in a Straussian grounded theory approach, part of these perspectives together to the discussion. By recording librarian and student understanding of organizational forces and operational issues that pervade the context they share, work, study in, in view of the forthcoming developments, it aims generating a conceptual model that could further facilitate the formulation of context specific recommendations. Through a rich set of graphs and illustrations, the researcher envisions offering visitors a blueprint to factors conducive or non-supportive to Greek and Spanish academic library use data integration in learning analytics programs. Value/Research Limitations: Despite study limitations associated with the relatively short amount of time spent in the interview process and the narrow range of interviewees, interview transcripts, analysed under a macro-evaluation and micro-evaluation lens—the first juxtaposing intercountry differences and the latter comparing participant inter-groupal perspectives—will hopefully contribute in a bottom-up approach to raising the university community’s awareness on the topic, hoping these insights will be useful to both (1) library practitioners working in a time of profound change and to (2) Library policy makers envisioning sustainable development in a way that it could truly adequately and effectively support the learning and teaching process.