A framework for enhancing quality of learning and knowledge management programmes using analytics

H.R. Vishwakarma, B.K. Tripathy, D.P. Kothari

VIT University, Vellore-632014, Tamil Nadu

Abstract: The scope and significance of learning is increasingly being seen beyond its traditional context in educational institutions such as universities. Now learning is an integral part of organizational development process for all sectors including business, industry and government. Project-based learning, on-job training, online education/training and digital learning have become the norms to either replace or augment traditional class-room based learning. Apart from taking corporate learning initiatives, enterprise-wide knowledge management programs are being designed and deployed to remain competitive.

Learning and knowledge management can be considered as two different view points on the same stream of organizational processes. In this era of globalization and liberalization, there is ever increasing pressure on organizations across the globe to enhance productivity, quality and reach of their learning and knowledge management programmes.

Modern organizations face challenges of ever explosion of data and information at the same starving of knowledge needed for decision making. The emerging discipline of learning and knowledge analytics is fast gaining momentum among organizations as response to the above and to emphasize the importance of computing sciences and social sciences.

Although data mining has been widely used in business environments to predict future trends and consumer behaviours, its usage has been minimal in learning and knowledge management programmes. Only recently education and training organizations have started to exploring the potential of this powerful analytical tool.

This paper reviews literature on learning and knowledge analytics and enumerates its potential applications addressing the above aspects. Further, it proposes a framework for enhancing quality of learning and knowledge management programmes.

Keywords: educational data mining, academic analytics, learning analytics, organizational effectiveness, learning and knowledge management

Biography: Prof. H.R. Vishwakarma is has about three decades of experience in ICT domain. Soon after joining VIT University, Vellore in March 2004, he played a crucial role in unifying people, processes and teaching-learning infrastructure of three erstwhile departments of Information Technology, Computer Science & Engineering and Computer Applications into an integrated School of Computing Sciences. He provided the strategic and administrative leadership to the school till October 2009. The School witnessed a tremendous growth and was bifurcated into two Schools viz., School of Information Technology & Engineering and School of Computing Sciences & Engineering.

Previously, he served as Deputy Chief Engineer (R&D), ITI Limited, Bangalore (Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Govt. of India) for about 14 years. He founded R&D groups on Computer Networks, Multimedia & Information Systems and Convergent Technologies. He also coordinated initiatives such as Software Quality Assurance, Information Strategic Planning (a joint study with M/s James Martin & Co., UK), restructuring of R&D and formation of IT Business Group. He served on many committees of Telecom Engineering Centre (Govt. of India). He also briefly worked as Senior Project Manager at HCL Perot Systems, Bangalore, as Engineering Director at Zygox Software Pvt. Ltd. Bangalore, as Chief Technology Officer at Indian Institute of Information Technology & Management-Kerala, Trivandrum.

He is well connected with professional associations and industry. He is member of ACM, IEEE, CSI, ISCA and several other professional societies. He has served as Hon. Secretary, CSI at national level for 2010-12, as President, Engineering Sciences, ISCA for 2011-12, as Chairman, Industry-Academia Outreach Committee, IEEE Education Society India council for 2011-13 and several other positions. He is alumnus of Govt. Engineering College, Jabalpur (B.E.) and Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (M.Tech.).