Learning and Evidence Analytics Framework Bridges Research and Practice for Educational Data Science

Learning analytics (LA) as a research discipline focuses on multiple perspectives of understanding and supporting educational activities utilizing collected log data. To do so at a national and even international level, educational technology platforms that enable gathering users' interaction traces and digitally generated artifacts must store data in a standardized format. In Japan, the government initiated the GIGA School project in 2020, which installed more than nine million tablet PCs and high-speed Internet access at compulsory education institutions (elemental and middle schools). Such infrastructure enables the collection of educational data and analysis with the aim to improve educational practices in each school. With standardized data logging, it is possible to aggregate data from all schools and to generate educational Big Data that can support evidence-based policy-making and research at a national level.