Welcome from the TU Darmstadt

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Colleagues,

I am very pleased that both the Goethe University Frankfurt and the Technical University of Darmstadt have teamed up to organise the most important international conference on Learning Analytics of this year.

Today, academic study and teaching are geared towards the abilities and skills students are to acquire. To that end, universities use research-oriented, innovative teaching methods and platforms to provide their students with a high-quality learning experience. In addition, universities have to adapt to varying needs of an increasingly heterogeneous student body.

How, then, can we determine which course formats are best suited for our students in various subjects? What measures can we take to ensure or increase academic success in the long run?

Learning Analytics offers the possibility to guide and support students individually in their learning process and to keep them from dropping out. At the same time, Learning Analytics offers instructors deeper insights into learning methods and educational development to help them improve their teaching. Learning Analytics is also able to provide even better information on these matters than traditional feedback instruments, as conclusions can be drawn for an entire year or learning group.

To make it easier for universities to actually use the results of Learning Analytics, it must be ensured that Learning Analytics is implemented in accordance with existing data protection regulations. These important issues will be discussed at this year’s Learning Analytics Conference. The state of Hesse is the ideal location for this discussion, as there is a sub-project on “Trusted Learning Analytics” within the project “Digital gestütztes Lehren und Lernen in Hessen”, a project about digitally supported teaching and learning funded by the State of Hesse. This project deals specifically with these topics under the leadership of Professor Drachsler and Dr. Rensing.

The conference with top-class keynotes on “Learning Analytics – A field on the verge of relevance?”, “Group LearningAnalytics” and “Smart Learners versus Smart Systems: Leveraging Learning Analytics for Self-regulated Learning” is aimed both at researchers and interested parties from politics, business, administration and educational practice. As a university training students to become qualified teachers and committed to the further development of existing teachers, the Technical University of Darmstadt is delighted that a training program for teachers and school principals with a corresponding workshop will be offered during this conference.

I wish the participants of this conference five exciting days and plenty of opportunities to engage in discussions and share the latest findings in Learning Analytics.

Prof. Dr. Heribert Warzecha,
Vice President, Academic Affairs and Diversity,
TU Darmstadt