Faculty perspectives on AI visualizations of student data: Supporting pedagogy and sensemaking

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 7:45 am - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: Title Written by AI? Make It Make Sense: Artificial Intelligence and Student Learning

Abstract

Online asynchronous discussions are crucial for supporting knowledge sharing and interaction, but they are plagued by uneven participation and quality. Learning analytics and AI-powered dashboards offer a potential solution to visualize and communicate data about student engagement in online courses. In this work, we seek to understand how AI-enabled tools can support instructor sensemaking and pedagogical reflection in online learning contexts. Our main research questions are: How do faculty with varied disciplinary backgrounds and pedagogical orientations make sense of student data visualizations, and how does this sensemaking inform their teaching practices? We collected survey and interview data. Analyses indicated the need for more nuanced understanding about variations in data and pedagogical literacy across instructor profiles.

Authors

• Priya Sharma, Pennsylvania State University

• Mahir Akgun, Pennsylvania State University