supervisor: jingyi qiao
Topic
Inquiry-based learning (IBL) in the field of science education is defined as an instructional approach in which students actively participate in scientific practices to enhance their understanding of real-world phenomena (De Jong, 2019; Morris, 2025). With the increasing integration of online platforms into IBL, teacher-facing learning analytics dashboards (LADs) are being developed to help educators manage the complexities of student inquiry. These dashboards often incorporate various features, such as mirroring, alerting and advising, to help teachers respond to students' needs in an adaptive way. These features can significantly impact how teachers interpret student data and decide when and how to intervene. However, the way in which teachers perceive and interpret dashboard information in IBL contexts remains largely unexplored.
This exploratory study aims to examine how different dashboard design elements influence teachers’ interpretation of student learning indicators and their perceived usability and usefulness of dashboards.
1. How do different dashboard design features influence teachers’ interpretation of dashboard indicators?
2. How do teachers perceive the usability and usefulness of different dashboard designs?
Method
The study will adopt a mixed-methods approach to investigate how dashboard design influences teacher interpretation and perception:
Teachers will interact with two to three pre-designed dashboard mock-ups. Afterward, they will complete a survey assessing their interpretation accuracy (e.g., identifying struggling students), perceived usability, and perceived usefulness.
Follow-up interviews or open-ended survey questions will be used to gather insights on how teachers experienced different dashboard designs and what design features they found most helpful or challenging.
references
De Jong, T. (2019). Moving towards engaged learning in STEM domains; there is no simple answer, but clearly a road ahead. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 35(2), 153–167. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12337
Morris, D. L. (2025). Rethinking science education practices: shifting from investigation-centric to comprehensive inquiry-based instruction. Education Sciences, 15(1), 73. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15010073