How to implement learning analytics with agency in mind. Perspectives of higher education stakeholders
Thesis event information
Date and time of the thesis defence
Place of the thesis defence
Oulun Puhelin Auditorium (L5), Linnanmaa campus
Topic of the dissertation
How to implement learning analytics with agency in mind. Perspectives of higher education stakeholders
Doctoral candidate
Master of Education Anceli Kaveri
Faculty and unit
University of Oulu Graduate School, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Learning and Learning Processes Research Unit
Subject of study
Educational Psychology
Opponent
Professor Tobias Ley, University for Continuing Education Krems, Austria
Custos
Professor Hanni Muukkonen, University of Oulu
Learning analytics across levels: Students, stakeholders, and institutional practices
Digital tools such as learning analytics dashboards are increasingly used in higher education to support students in navigating their studies. Learning analytics refers to using student data to present clear, visual information about study progress and to assist students in planning and monitoring their learning. Although these tools offer new possibilities, it remains unclear how well they support students’ agency, understood as students’ ability to take an active role in their studies. Many systems provide information, but not always in ways that build understanding, support reflection, or guide meaningful decisions. Universities are also complex environments where students, staff, and developers have different expectations and responsibilities, which makes developing and implementing such tools challenging.
This dissertation examines how learning analytics dashboards can be developed and taken into use in ways that support student agency. The study explores how students use a dashboard and how developers, advisors, teachers, and other staff experience its development and implementation. The research was conducted at a Finnish higher education institution with 127 participants, using interviews and surveys.
The findings show that learning analytics can support student agency when information is presented clearly and feels understandable to students. Developers described how design choices were shaped by interpretations of students’ needs and by practical and technical constraints. Staff emphasized the importance of clear communication, shared goals, and defined responsibilities in bringing tools into everyday use. At the institutional level, challenges included unclear accountability, fragmented processes, and the need for coordinated leadership. The dissertation identifies principles for designing and implementing learning analytics in ways that strengthen student agency and promote transparent and pedagogically grounded practices.
This dissertation examines how learning analytics dashboards can be developed and taken into use in ways that support student agency. The study explores how students use a dashboard and how developers, advisors, teachers, and other staff experience its development and implementation. The research was conducted at a Finnish higher education institution with 127 participants, using interviews and surveys.
The findings show that learning analytics can support student agency when information is presented clearly and feels understandable to students. Developers described how design choices were shaped by interpretations of students’ needs and by practical and technical constraints. Staff emphasized the importance of clear communication, shared goals, and defined responsibilities in bringing tools into everyday use. At the institutional level, challenges included unclear accountability, fragmented processes, and the need for coordinated leadership. The dissertation identifies principles for designing and implementing learning analytics in ways that strengthen student agency and promote transparent and pedagogically grounded practices.
Created 12.2.2026 | Updated 13.2.2026