How Teachers Make Dashboard Information Actionable

This study investigates how teachers use dashboards in primary school classrooms. While learners practice on a tablet real-time data indicating learner progress and performance is displayed on teacher dashboards. This study examines how teachers use the dashboards, applying Verberts' learning analytics process model. Teacher dashboard consultations and resulting pedagogical actions were observed in 38 mathematics lessons. In stimulated recall interviews, the 38 teachers were asked to elaborate on how they reflect on and make sense of the information on the dashboard. The results showed that teachers consulted the dashboard on average 8.3 times per lesson. Teachers activated existing knowledge about students and the class to interpret dashboard information. Task and process feedback were the pedagogical actions most often used following dashboard consultation. Additionally, teachers who consulted the dashboard more often activated more and more diverse pedagogical knowledge to interpret the data and, consequently, gave more and more diverse feedback. These results indicated that teacher dashboards were indeed influencing teachers' pedagogical actions in their daily classroom activities. This study provided the first evidence that dashboards progressively impact teaching practice and initiate more profound behavioral changes as teachers become more proficient in using them.