HELA - Field research at UOC
Established in 1995, the Open University of Catalonia is the first university in the world with a virtual campus. Today, it is a leading institution in the digital transformation of education and one of the largest universities in Spain.
The visit was arranged and organized by Prof. Igor Balaban Ph. D. and project associates at UOC. Ivan Kekez, M. Econ., also participated in the visit and conducted research using a semi-structured interview method aimed at evaluating the maturity model for implementing learning analytics in a hybrid environment.
The maturity model framework consists of 28 capabilities grouped into eight categories, as well as a maturity model instrument, a dynamic component that enables the identification of higher education institutions' maturity levels. During the research, opinions were collected from three experts in the field of learning analytics: Prof. Lourdes Guàrdia Ortiz, Ph. D., Vice Dean of Teaching from the Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences; Prof. Marcelo Fabián Maina, Ph. D., Head of the Education and ICT study program; and Prof. Nati Cabrera Lanzó, Ph. D., Director of the University Master’s Program in Education and Quality Management in Higher Education. The collected data will be used for further development of the maturity model for learning analytics implementation in hybrid environments.
Following the visit to the Open University of Catalonia, visits to two more European universities are planned by the end of the year: the Open University UK in late November 2024 and Goethe University Frankfurt in early December 2024.
The research project (IP-2020-02-5071) HELA – Improving HEI maturity to implement learning analytics is funded by the Croatian Science Foundation. The total value of the project is €103,023.43, and it is being implemented over a period of four years. The third and final phase of the project runs from September 1, 2023, to February 28, 2025. The project leader is Prof. Nina Begičević Ređep, Ph. D. and the co-leader is Prof. Diana Šimić, Ph. D.
More information about the project is available on the official website.