Learning analytics describes the use of data to understand learners’ needs and improve educational services accordingly. It can be used to test the effectiveness of different learning techniques, track students’ progress and identify areas for improvement, and give educators insight into the most successful tactics. Learning analytics uses technologies such as data mining, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the learning experience and better support students with data-informed approaches. Through learning analytics, institutions can see an improvement in student grades, retention, and graduation rates

Learning analytics can use big data collected by schools, universities, online sources, governments, and other educational institutions. These massive sources of data when mined provide a great opportunity to improve educational outcomes. Unfortunately, these resources are often untapped or underutilized as the application of big data analytics to learning environments is fairly new. But with more institutions hiring analysts for this specific purpose and more educators engaging with self-service analytics, learning analytics continues to grow and use data to improve education

Learning analytics can be used to understand a variety of educational data, including but not limited to the following:

Student Feedback Surveys: Survey data from students and graduates can be extremely valuable in how educational institutions assess educator performance, address problem areas, and improve student satisfaction
Admissions Data: Universities are often interested in the number of applicants they receive, the percentage that is accepted, and how many accepted students attend
Exam Scores: From a basic performance level, what trends can educators see in exam scores as the result of different learning strategies
Graduation Rates: Graduation rates are also often used as a baseline for institutions to understand their performance from a high level
Student Engagement: What content students are engaging with the most and how educational content can be improved to raise that engagement
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Measurements of student success and educational effectiveness