Learning Data Committee

The Learning Data Committee (LDC) is a high-level academic committee tasked with providing strategic direction for learning analytics projects and practices at UBC, as well as acting as the UBC Data Steward for learning data. The LDC began as part of the Learning Analytics project at UBC, and was tasked with proposing and implementing principles for the use of learning data at the institution. At the time there was also a Learning Analytics Project Steering Committee, which ended when the project finished. The LDC’s remit has since evolved to include that steering function.

Jump to a section: Current Members | Terms of Reference | Principles and Procedures | Agenda Items

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Current Members

Note: members are ex officio, meaning that it is the role that is the member, except for faculty and students.

• Simon Bates – on leave
• Erika Brimacombe – Legal Counsel, Information and Privacy, Office of the University Counsel
• Jennifer Burns – CIO and AVP, Information Technology
• Laurel Evans – Director, Research Ethics, Office of Research Ethics
• Christina Hendricks (Co-Chair) – Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Teaching and Learning, pro tem
• Marcela Hernandez – Chief Data Officer, Office of the CIO
• Muskan Jaswal – Student and LT Rover, CTL (Okanagan)
• Leah Macfadyen – Assistant Professor of Teaching, Faculty of Education
• Stephanie McKeown – Chief Institutional Research Officer
• Stephen Michaud – Senior Manager, Learning Applications Integrations & Analytics, Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology (non-voting)
• Firas Moosvi – Lecturer, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science (Okanagan)
• Rella Ng – Associate Vice-President, Enrolment Services and Registrar
• Laia Shpeller – Student Senator, Applied Science (Vancouver)
• Brad Wuetherick (Co-Chair) – Associate Provost, Academic Programs, Teaching and Learning (Okanagan)
• Tammy Yasrobi – Associate Director, Teaching & Learning Technologies (non-voting)

Non-voting Attendee

• Catherine Aldana – Project Manager, CTLT

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Terms of Reference

The Learning Data Committee plays a lead role in articulating UBC’s approach to the use of student data to support and enhance learning, through:

• Providing strategic direction for learning analytics at UBC, including providing guidance on broad goals for learning analytics and potential projects. This includes:
  • Providing guidance on priorities amongst learning analytics activities taking place at the central level at UBC
  • Providing guidance on the use of learning data for learning analytics, academic analytics, and for other purposes
  • Providing guidance on ethical and privacy implications of uses of learning data in learning analytics activities
• Operating as the Data Steward for learning data, as part of the UBC Data Governance Program. The LDC reviews and approves requests for access to learning data, with responsibility for reviewing and updating application forms and processes as needed.

The Learning Data Committee accomplishes the above through

• Dialogue with campus stakeholder groups, including student leaders, Senate committees, the Office of Research Ethics, and other groups doing learning analytics work at UBC.
• Development, consultation and proposal of principles, policies and procedures regarding the use of student data to enhance learning.

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Purpose, Principles and Data Access

The Learning Data Committee has created two key documents as part of its work to develop and propose principles, policies, and procedures regarding the use of student data to support student learning: Learning Analytics at UBC: Purpose and Principles and Access to Learning Data for Evaluation and Enhancement.

Learning Analytics Purpose and Principles

The Learning Data Committee has developed Learning Analytics at UBC: Purpose and Principles [PDF] to guide the Learning Analytics Project and the formulation of UBC policies, as appropriate.

The Purpose and Principles highlight the need to ensure analytics activity is pursued in a manner that is sensitive to the ethical and privacy concerns inherent in collection, analysis, and retention of learning data. This document also addresses how data is to used and interpreted, the necessity of engaging students, ethical conduct and redress, and the need for ongoing review and refinement of approaches, policies, and processes.

The Principles and Procedures draw on work from other institutions and organizations and were developed through consultation with Deans, Associate Deans, student leadership, and committees of senate. This document has also been endorsed by the UBC Data Governance Steering Committee.

Access to Learning Data for Evaluation and Enhancement

At UBC, requests for access to learning data are processed by the designated data steward. The Learning Data Committee is the data steward for learning data at UBC.

Faculty members and their teaching teams (e.g., TAs and staff that faculty members appoint to their team) can access learning data from their own courses without requesting additional approvals in order to improve their courses or their teaching, to reflect on their prior courses offering, and generally speaking, for quality assurance purposes. These efforts are both supported by UBC’s learning analytics pilots and conducted independently by UBC faculty.

If a faculty member’s quality assurance activities require access to additional data (i.e., data that’s not available within their own course), then a formal application to the Learning Data Committee must be submitted. 

Request Access to Learning Data

The online Access to and Use of Learning Data for Quality Assurance / Enhancement Purposes application process provides a mechanism for submitting requests to the Learning Data Committee to access and use learning data for purposes of evaluation and quality assurance and enhancement.

Share Your Feedback

If you have comments or questions for the Learning Data Committee, please get in touch.

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Agenda Items

2023 Agenda Items

Past Agendas