The Learning Analytics Faculty Fellows inaugural cohort features 10 faculty members. Photo provided by UITS Learning Technologies Faculty Fellow Programs The UITS Learning Technologies Faculty Fellow Programs at Indiana University has launched an innovative new program designed to transform the way faculty use data to enhance student success.

The Learning Analytics Initiative, which launched its inaugural cohort this summer, represents a new approach to data-informed teaching that can transform educational outcomes across the university.

This inaugural cohort features 10 faculty members from the IU Bloomington and IU Indianapolis campuses, with plans to expand to all IU campuses in future cohorts. This program and its planned growth reflect IU’s commitment to providing cutting-edge educational resources and support to faculty university-wide.

The initiative brings the total number of UITS Learning Technologies Faculty Fellows programs to five, each focused on empowering IU instructors with innovative skills, knowledge, and resources. Together, the programs foster a culture of continuous growth and excellence that have a positive impact on student success and advances the university’s mission for teaching and learning with technologies.

“The Learning Analytics Initiative represents faculty who will build a peer community of fellow faculty seeking to bolster their teaching practice using learning analytics,” said Carrie Hansel, Manager, Learning Analytics and Unizin Principal IT consultant. “By leveraging data-driven insights, the fellowship seeks to improve student success and enhance faculty skills in working with educational data.”

The new Learning Analytics Faculty Fellows are:

• Cassandra Coble, Department of Kinesiology in the School of Public Health-Bloomington.
• Richard Hullinger, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington.
• Sarah Johnson, Department of Health Policy and Management in the Fairbanks School of Public Health at IU Indianapolis.
• Gina Londino-Smolar, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology in the School of Science at IU Indianapolis.
• Sara Lowe, University Library, IU Indianapolis.
• Michele Morrisette, Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington.
• Sandra Ortiz, Department of Spanish and Portuguese in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington.
• Meghan Porter, Department of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington.
• Audrey Ricke, Department of Sociology and Anthropology in the School of Liberal Arts at IU Indianapolis.
• Megan Stuffle, Department of the Science of Nursing Care at the School of Nursing at IU Indianapolis.

“The launch of the Learning Analytics Initiative marks an exciting milestone in our commitment to data-informed teaching excellence,” said Kelly Scholl, director of UITS Learning Technologies Faculty Fellow Programs. “By empowering our faculty with sophisticated analytics tools and collaborative learning opportunities, we’re positioning Indiana University at the forefront of educational innovation while directly enhancing outcomes for our students.”

Program goals and impact

The Learning Analytics Initiative is designed with three core objectives that will reshape how faculty approach teaching and assessment:

• Foster student success using learning analytics.
• Encourage and support data-informed decision-making in the classroom.
• Develop a community of practice to share and create learning analytic strategies for their teaching.

Hansel, who is also IU’s principal Unizin instructional consultant, and collaborator Josh Quick, a learning data analyst with e-Learning Design Services, both bring valuable expertise to the initiative by leveraging the powerful Unizin data platform and analytical tools. This partnership ensures fellows have access to sophisticated resources that can provide deep insights into student learning behaviors and outcomes.

Launch event highlights

At the Learning Analytics Initiative launch event, fellows shared their goals for the program, expressing enthusiasm for developing comprehensive methods to evaluate courses and programs. The cohort is also interested in assessing the impact of pedagogical and programmatic changes designed to boost student success rates.

The launch featured a keynote presentation by Ben Motz, assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, who shared his journey through learning analytics and highlighted the tremendous potential for what can be accomplished when educators harness the power of educational data.

As the program looks to expand to additional IU campuses in the future, the Learning Analytics Initiative is positioned to become a model for other universities seeking to integrate data-driven approaches.