Learning Analytics. Across data processing ethics, instructional design and academic policy

The project is part of the current debate around the issues of data analysis and the ethical aspects of data processing. The aim is to develop a research model in the field of Learning Analytics connecting,at the same time, the technical aspects of data analysis with the academic policy aspects in order tobe able to use data in an ethical way with the purpose of enhancing educational delivery. In lifelonglearning contexts, first and foremost the university, varying use of e-learning has led scholarlyresearch to develop data analysis techniques useful for understanding the effectiveness of coursesdelivered and for purposeful design of their content and learning environment. Thus, the LearningAnalytics research field has developed, which applies machine learning techniques to data producedby a Learning Management System regarding the students' interaction with the online environment. Inaddition to the development and refinement of analytical techniques and interpretive theories, part ofthe research has focused on the ethical implications of handling a variety of data, including sensitivestudent data, against which a polarization has been emerging between positions of radical closurewith regards to the use of data and diametrically opposed positions. Within this scenario, there is anecessity to define a guideline regarding the use of data for research purposes that meets the needsand protects the interests of the different stakeholders: researchers, educational designers, academicdecision makers, students, and European legislation.