摘要：The early stages of the internet and world wide web drew attention to the communication and connective capacities of global networks. The ability to collaborate and interact with colleagues from around the world provided academics with new models of teaching and learning. Today, online education is a fast growing segment of the education sector. A side effect, to date not well explored, of digital learning is the collection of data and analytics in order to understand and inform teaching and learning. As learners engage in online or mobile learning, data trails are created. These data trails indicate social networks, learning dispositions, and how different learners come to understand core course concepts. Aggregate and large-scale data can also provide predictive value about the types of learning patterns and activity that might indicate risk of failure or drop out.
