Reference Architecture for Student Analytics

It was great to catch up with Michael Feldstein (eLiterate Blog, Oracle's Principal Product Manager for Oracle's Academic Enterprise Solutions). Michael was attending the JA-SIG annual conference. I am very disappointed that I was not able to attend the conference even though it's in my backyard. JA-SIG is one of the great but not very well known success stories in higher education. The JA-SIG leadership needs to be commended for building a sustainable community that is making fundamental contributions to information technology in higher education. These aren't flashy folks but they are getting the job done.

Michael and I discussed a wide range of subjects at "Conference Room G" in Saint Paul. An area where we are likely to collaborate on, or at least get the discussion started, is student analytics. What would a reference architecture for Student Analytics look like? I described our nascent project in Action Analytics at Minnesota State Colleges & Universities. Michael and I then explored some architectural challenges in building a student analytics system, the central role of the LMS, and how this strategic space is likely to evolve in the next few years. Michael is a true thought leader and it was wonderful to bounce around ideas with him.

We did talk very briefly about the Blackboard lawsuit. What a huge and costly distraction it has been for all of us.