Professor Maren Scheffel is Junior Professor for Educational Data Science at the Institute of Educational Science at the RUB. © RUB, Marquard

Educational Science When learning environments and content adapt to us

Data analysis within education can make learning easier. But only if it is not an end in itself.

If digitalisation continues like this, we will be able to learn in a more personalised way in the future because learning environments and content will adapt to us and not vice versa. By using data from various educational contexts, we can better understand learning and teaching processes, and thus provide support and implement improvements in a targeted manner – this has an effect on learners, teachers, schools, universities, vocational continuing education and life-long learning. And thus, in one way or another, on all of us.

Data must not be used just because it is currently available. Instead, we need to be guided by the requirements and needs of learners and teachers and carefully consider what is made available to whom, when, how, where and, above all, why. Data analysis within education should therefore never be an end in itself. The goal is always to make learning and teaching more effective, efficient or attractive for those involved.

About the person

Maren Scheffel studied computational linguistics in Bonn and Edinburgh and obtained her master’s degree in 2008. She then spent five years doing research at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology in the field of technology-supported and personalised learning. In 2014, she moved to the Netherlands, where she gained a doctorate at the Open Universiteit in the Learning Analytics research group at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science in 2017. Following her time as an assistant professor there, she has been an Junior Professor for Educational Data Science at the Institute of Educational Science at RUB since 1st October 2020.

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Published

Thursday
14 January 2021
8:54 am

By

Maren Scheffel

Translated by

Lund Languages

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