Over the past three years, Stanford’s online learning offerings have generated substantial interest from researchers worldwide. There is great excitement among scholars in communication, computer science, education, psychology, sociology, and many other fields about using digital learning platforms to build a data science of teaching and learning. Stanford is committed to nurturing an intellectually diverse community of researchers to develop this science.
Open Learning Initiative: The Open Learning Initiative (OLI) is a grant-funded organization that is designed to simultaneously improve learning and facilitate research. Directed by Candace Thille, the Open Learning Initiative (OLI) seeks to create high-quality online courses that directly contribute to research on teaching and learning. OLI is built around the idea that integrating formative assessments into the learning process to develop a fine-grained understanding of learning can profoundly enhance learning outcomes. In order to leverage these data to their fullest extent, OLI integrates learning analytics into all of its courses. These tools empower instructors by providing them with detailed information about learner performance and misconceptions. In the aggregate, the data are also a rich source of insight for researchers. OLI openly shares its research and instructional products with other institutions and educators interested in the transformative power of data-driven learning science. OLI’s goals include:
Education's Digital Future: During 2012-2014 EDF was convened as a hub for discussion of critical questions about education's digital future. A full generation has been living and learning online, yet participation in formal education is still largely accomplished face-to-face in physical space. This is changing rapidly. The goal of EDF was to help people think about and navigate this transformation – through coursework, town-hall forums, expert lectures, and ongoing exchange.
Lytics Lab: Stanford is a world center for the new sciences of teaching and learning made possible by online instruction. Co-directed by John Mitchell and Candace Thille, Lytics is an interdisciplinary group of Stanford faculty, doctoral students, and visiting scholars who are using online learning environments to conduct research on teaching and learning. Current topics include:
Stanford Digital Learning Forum: The Stanford Digital Learning Forum affiliates program was launched by VPTL to engage companies and other organizations interested in the future of learning in a digital world.
The Asilomar Convention for Learning Research in Higher Education: A group of educators, scientists, and legal/ethical scholars has issued an ethical framework to inform appropriate use of data and technology in learning research for higher education.
