Governance

Dr. Bart Rienties is Professor of Learning Analytics and programme lead of the learning analytics and learning design research programme at the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University UK. He leads a group of academics who provide university-wide learning analytics and learning design solutions and conduct evidence-based research of how students and professionals learn. As an educational psychologist, he conducts multi-disciplinary research on work-based and collaborative learning environments and focuses on the role of social interaction in learning, which is published in leading academic journals and books. His primary research interests are focussed on Learning Analytics, Learning Design, and the role of motivation in learning. Furthermore, Bart is interested in broader internationalisation aspects of higher education. He has successfully led a range of institutional/national/European projects, and has received a range of awards for his educational innovation projects. He has published over 250 academic outputs in a range of disciplines, but is most proud of the embedding of several of the educational innovations as “business as usual” at the three institutions he has worked. For the “serious Bart” see https://twitter.com/DrBartRienties, for the “real Bart” see https://www.strava.com/athletes/5325274.

Professor Blaženka Divjak, PhD, is a Full Professor of Mathematics and Information Science at the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Organization and Informatics. She served as Vice-Rector for students and study programs at the University of Zagreb (2010-2014). She was the Croatian Minister of Science and Education (2017-2020), leading four major reform processes: curricular reform of general education, reform of vocational education and training, enhancement of relevance of higher education and excellence of research. She chaired the EU Council of ministers for education and Council of ministers for research and space during the Croatian presidency (January – June 2020). In that period, she coordinated the EU response to the COVID-19 crises in education and research. She has been a coordinator and a researcher in over 30 (inter)national projects. Currently, she coordinates the “Relevant assessment and pedagogies for inclusive digital education” Erasmus+ project, as well as a work package within the “Digital and entrepreneurial skills for European teachers” Erasmus+ project, both of which research learning analytics. Her area of interest and expertise, besides mathematics, includes curriculum development, e-learning, learning design, assessment, learning analytics, strategic decision-making, the Bologna process, as well as the social dimension of higher education.

Olga Viberg has obtained her PhD in Informatics at Örebro University School of Business (Sweden) in December 2015. Viberg is associate professor in Media Technology, with specialization in Technology-Enhanced Learning at the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at KTH. She is also an active faculty member of Digital Futures at KTH. Viberg’s research includes a focus on learning analytics in higher education, self-regulated learning, cross-cultural research and responsible use of student data in education, focusing on the issues of privacy and trust. Viberg coordinates the Bachelor Degree course in Media Technology and a Master course in Technology-Enhanced Learning, as well as two PhD courses: Introduction to Learning Analytics and Research Methods in Technology Enhanced Learning and teaches several other courses at different educational levels. Viberg is an active member of the Digital Futures group on Educational Transformation at KTH and several other international networks (e.g., SIG Responsible Learning Analytics.) She has served as the keynote speaker at several prestigious international conferences (e.g. EDUCON, IMCL). Viberg has also contributed to the UNESCO policy work on quality of online education and gave a keynote speech in Nov.2021. Viberg is the main organizer of the Nordic Learning Analytics Summer Institute (2021 & 2022) and a part of the organizing committee of the 12th International Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference. She is the PC chair for the next Learning@Scale 2023 conference and the next ECTEL2023. She serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Learning Analytics from Fall 2022- present.

Ioana Jivet is a Research Professor in Learning Analytics at the FernUniversität in Hagen, Germany. Previously, she was a postdoctoral researcher at studiumdigitale at the Goethe University Frankfurt and an associate researcher at DIPF in Germany. Ioana has a Masters degree in Computer Science obtained in 2016 from TU Delft and a PhD Cum Laude obtained in 2021 at the Open University of the Netherlands. Her research focuses on designing feedback interventions and learner-facing learning analytics dashboards that foster goal achievement and the development of self-regulated learning skills. Over the past years, she has contributed to Competen-SEA, a capacity building project in South-East Asia around MOOCs, and SHEILA, a research project that investigated the adoption of learning analytics in European higher education institutions and built a policy development framework for HEIs to facilitate adoption.

Dr Abhinava Barthakur is an Early Career Researcher at the University of South Australia and affiliated with the Centre for Change and Complexity in Learning. He completed his PhD in 2023 in the field of learning analytics. Dr Barthakur’s research focuses on developing novel human-centred assessment models for measuring complex competencies. In doing so, he utilises various data science and psychometrics models to provide diagnostic information about student learning within higher education and in the context of professional learning. Dr Barthakur leads projects examining students’ development of broader competencies and learning outcomes and believes in the holistic representation of students’ success. His research has substantially impacted the education community, as evidenced by his impressive publication record. He has demonstrated a commitment to advancing knowledge in education technology research through the publication of several manuscripts in a short period of time. With a normalised citation impact of 1.6 (Web of Science), his work has clearly resonated with fellow researchers and practitioners.

Kathryn has been a member of SoLAR’s SIG Working Group since 2020, and is active in interactions with SIG leaders and championing the role of SIGs within the Society. Kathryn was on the organising committee for LAK18 in Sydney, and initiated her university’s institutional membership with SoLAR and continued as its representative until 2022 when she moved from a central institutional leadership role to a regular faculty position. Some notable achievements whilst in the role of Head Quality and Analytics at the University of Sydney (USyd) were delivering an online survey system, the establishment of data access processes, convening twice-yearly roundtable sessions for researchers using university-held student data, and sponsoring a number of institution-wide learning analytics projects of which the most significant was the creation of an educational databank. Since her recent move to the Sydney School of Education and Social Work, Kathryn is now research coordinator at the Centre for Educational Measurement and Assessment (CEMA). She is also deputy chair and chair of two of USyd’s human research ethics committees, and regularly gives seminars and advice across the arts and social sciences on ethics. Kathryn currently teaches in the areas educational leadership, educational psychology, and research methods; and supervises PhD students in the areas of assessment and educational psychology.

Maurice Boothe Jr. is a learning designer, researcher, and former high school teacher. He holds a BA in Spanish Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master’s Certificate in Learning Sciences, Media, and Technology from Indiana University, and an MA in Learning Technology Experience Design from New York University. Maurice is currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Communication and Technology at New York University while working full-time as an Instructional Technologist at NYU Meyers College of Nursing. Maurice has made contributions to the field of Learning Analytics in collaboration and games research as well as received the Best Short Paper Award with Wise et al in LAK '21. He has also been a committed volunteer at LAK for several years. Maurice is also recognized as a Gates Millennium Scholar, a UW-Madison Chancellor’s Scholar, and has received the Samuel Eshborn Service Award from NYU. His current research explores the intersection of game-based learning and learning analytics, exploring the ways that feedback can be delivered to learner using games.

Rogers Kaliisa is a Doctoral Research Fellow in Learning Analytics at the Department of Education, University of Oslo, Norway. His doctoral research focuses on leveraging social learning analytics to support teachers in making data-informed learning design (LD) decisions in blended learning environments. His research utilizes networked approaches (e.g. social and epistemic network analysis) and automated discourse analysis to make sense of students’ data generated from online learning environments and how it relates to teachers’ intended pedagogical objectives.

Khalil is a senior researcher and lecturer in learning analytics at the Centre for the Science of Learning & Technology (SLATE) within the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Bergen in Norway. Khalil, as an Erasmus Mundus granted scholar, has a Ph.D. with distinction from Graz University of Technology in Learning Analytics in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). He worked as a Postdoc at Delft University of Technology for almost 2 years in Technology Enhanced Learning. Khalil leads several international projects in learning analytics, including Erasmus+ and PederSather projects. He is a guest editor of two special issues in the Journal of Learning Analytics (JLA) on Fairness, Equity and Responsibility in Learning Analytics and the British Journal of Educational Technology on Adaptive Support for Self-Regulated Learning. He has served as one of the workshop chairs for LAK’23.

Lisa-Angelique Lim is a postdoctoral researcher with the Connected Intelligence Centre at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Australia. Lisa obtained her PhD in education with a focus on learning analytics from the University of South Australia. Lisa’s primary research interests are in learning analytics feedback and human-centred AI. Lisa’s research focuses on understanding effective implementation of human-centred learning analytics in educational settings, as well as its impact on key stakeholders. Lisa has published in several top journals and conferences in the fields of education and learning analytics. In addition to research, Lisa’s work involves building educators’ capability development in the use of automated feedback, and co-designing learning analytics feedback with educators within their teaching contexts. She has also chaired or co-chaired a number of successful workshops in learning analytics feedback at LAK and LASI.

Marie Reid, a Caribbean national, is a seasoned Learning and Development Specialist with over fifteen (15) years of experience. She has a penchant for strategically integrating learning sciences, behavioral economics, systems-thinking, and emergent technologies to foster progressive educational outcomes. At a national level, Marie has held key roles in academia and administration across higher education institutions and accreditation agencies and has driven educational projects in both public and private sectors. Her collaboration extends to regional and global organizations. An ardent supporter of Global Citizenship Education, Marie’s initiatives extend beyond conventional learning, closely aligning with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Her academic achievements, including a Master of Education in Instructional Design & Technology from the American College of Education, and an MBA and BBA from Nova Southeastern University, along with a Diploma in Spanish Language from La Universidad de La Habana, reflect her dedication to interdisciplinary learning. As the founder and owner of EduLearn Connect, an EdTech company, Marie is at the forefront of pioneering 21st-century educational advancements. Her company focuses on agile skills-based curriculum design and development, AI-enabled curriculum integration, and AI-driven workforce transformation solutions, meeting the needs of the evolving educational ecosystem and the future of work.