Learning analytics is pivotal for supporting learning, with recent research shifting from concepts to reviews. However, understanding factors influencing learning outcomes in higher education through analytics systems remains underexplored. This study aims to fill this gap, providing a holistic view of factors affecting learning outcomes in higher education through a systematic literature review. The goal is to unravel the intricate connections among factors, learning environments, research scopes, and theory. The search yielded 1,662 results, with 27 studies selected. “Engagement” emerged as the most prevalent factor, followed by “platform behavior,” while “demographic features” and “self-assessment” were least prevalent. Most research focused on learning outcomes as final grades, lacking a consistent theoretical definition. Studies were mainly conducted in virtual and blended learning environments, spanning multiple courses or focusing on a single course. Despite extensive research on learning behavior and engagement in learning management systems, prevalence does not necessarily indicate a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing learning outcomes. This implies a potential gap in information gathering or analysis for deeper insights. Moreover, the lack of a consistent theoretical framework and the restriction of analyses to final or partial grades in virtual or blended learning environments suggest areas for improvement in learning analytics research. The study proposes directions for enhancing research in this field to unlock its full potential.

We propose the use of a Virtual Tour to substitute in-person visits to a manufacturing plant for a lecture on Enterprise Productivity at the School of Business Administration at our University. Traditionally, during this lecture, students are required to visit a production site to observe its process and apply their knowledge in a real-life scenario. However, finding businesses that are willing to participate and offer the right learning conditions has become a challenge. This situation is now worse due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we present a prototype of a virtual tour of an assembly line in a simulated environment, where students can explore and learn about the manufacturing process of car seats. We performed a mixed method user study, with quantitative and qualitative data, to determine whether the application can help learn the intended concepts and improve the learning experience and motivation of students. Results show that the use of the virtual tour application increased motivation in learning.

Learning analytics (LA) emerged with the promise of improving student learning outcomes (LOs), however, its effectiveness in informing actionable insights remains a challenge. Curriculum analytics (CA), a subfield of LA, seeks to address this by using data to inform curriculum development. This study explores using CA to evaluate LOs through direct standardized measures at the subject level, examining how this process informs curriculum decision-making. Conducted at an engineering-focused higher education institution, the research involved 32 administrators and 153 faculty members, serving 9.906 students across nine programs. By utilizing the Integrative Learning Design Framework, we conducted three phases of this framework and present key results. Findings confirm the importance of stakeholder involvement throughout different design phases, highlighting the need for ongoing training and support. Among the actionable insights that emerged from LOs assessments, we identified faculty reflections regarding the need to incorporate active learning strategies, improve course planning, and acknowledge the need for education-specific training for faculty development. Although the study does not demonstrate whether these insights lead to improvements in LOs, this paper contributes to the CA field by offering a practical approach to evaluating LOs and translating these assessments into actionable improvements within an actual-world educational context.

Se ha sugerido que la práctica profesional de un instrumento musical esta relacionada con mejores puntajes en tareas de funciones ejecutivas. Con el fin de examinar sistemáticamente esta hipótesis se realizó un metaanálisis para identificar el efecto de la interpretación de un instrumento en las funciones ejecutivas, así como las variables que podrían moderar dicho efecto. El metaanálisis incluyó estudios empíricos que: (1) compararon los puntajes en medidas de funciones ejecutivas entre músicos y no músicos; (2) reportaron las medias y desviaciones estándar; (3) el grupo de comparación no recibió entrenamiento musical; y (4) los participantes no presentaron discapacidad motora o cognitiva. Se identificó que los músicos, en comparación con los no músicos, muestran mejores puntajes en tareas de funciones ejecutivas (d = .712). Los resultados apoyan la hipótesis de que la práctica de un instrumento musical está relacionada con mejores puntuaciones en tareas de funciones ejecutivas.

En los últimos años ha surgido la interrogante de si es posible entrenar las funciones ejecutivas y si se considera que la música, por su alto nivel de complejidad, genera un efecto en estos procesos. Pese a que se ha encontrado una relación entre un entrenamiento musical y las funciones ejecutivas, estos resultados son contradictorios y no existe una estimación cuantitativa de la fuerza de esta posible asociación, ni tampoco estudios que integren los resultados de investigaciones similares para esclarecer la problemática planteada. El objetivo del presente estudio fue estimar meta-analíticamente el efecto del entrenamiento musical sobre el procesamiento ejecutivo, así como identificar potenciales variables moderadoras. Se encontró un tamaño de efecto moderado ( d=0,51) el cual indica que las personas que recibieron un entrenamiento musical presentaron un mejor desempeño en las tareas de funciones ejecutivas e n comparación a los participantes que no estuvieron expuestos a un entrenamiento de esta naturaleza.