# Why use learning analytics?

One of the strengths of learning analytics is that it can be used by different staff throughout the school. The Trust can start with data about an individual pupil, and, for example, use it with the pupil to decide whether there are any areas that they can improve. In other words, teachers use the data and provide more personalised feedback and feed forward to pupils.

Teachers can also group data, to examine the performance of a whole pupil group comparing an individual pupil with the group average This also benefits, for example, a Head of Department who can see how pupils are progressing at a departmental or school level.

Figure 12: Why use learning analytics?

In terms of weaknesses, we have to be careful not to fool ourselves into thinking that learning analytics can explain everything that is happening in the learning environment. Schools may measure how often a pupil is logging into the learning platform, how long they are spending in the learning platform, but it may well be that they have just logged on, and in actual fact are off task in some way.

What key actions need to be taken at your school?

Add these to your Action grid (only use this link if you haven’t already downloaded the file).

OpenLearn - Strategic planning for online learning
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