IntelliBoard process guide for study consultants

What is IntelliBoard?

IntelliBoard is a learning analytics platform that provides programme directors, lecturers, students and study consultants with an overview of students’ activities and study progress in Moodle courses. IntelliBoard aggregates and analyses data from Moodle and enables the use of various reports to monitor student learning activities across courses, topics, activities, metrics, and data categories.

Objectives of using IntelliBoard

IntelliBoard is used at the university to support the following objectives:

• monitoring students’ academic performance and engagement;

• early identification of problems and preventive intervention;

• analysis of the quality of curriculum and course design;

• evidence based decision making in the development of teaching and learning.

IntelliBoard is not a monitoring or assessment tool, but a supportive analytics platform.

Access to IntelliBoard

Access rights to IntelliBoard are automatically granted to the following roles: programme directors, study consultants, lecturers and students. Individuals who do not belong to the roles listed above but wish to use IntelliBoard must contact the Educational Technology Centre.

To use IntelliBoard, you must first log in to Moodle and select “IntelliBoard” from the top menu bar.

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User guide: https://taltech.atlassian.net/wiki/x/TIBsLg

Frequently asked questions: https://taltech.atlassian.net/wiki/x/foARVg

IntelliBoard data is primarily used and exchanged between the following roles:

• lecturer;

• programme director;

• study consultant;

• student.

Information flow depends on the nature of the issue and the responsibilities of the roles involved. Minor issues are generally resolved at the student-lecturer level, while more serious or systemic concerns are escalated to the programme director and/or study consultant level.

Study consultant perspective

Role-based monitoring

Study consultants are recommended to review IntelliBoard reports at least once every two weeks, unless the programme director has indicated the need to do so more frequently in specific cases.

The study consultant uses IntelliBoard to gain a holistic view of a student’s academic progress. The recommended minimum indicators to monitor regularly include:

• low activity across multiple courses simultaneously;

• sudden and significant changes in a student’s participation patterns;

• prolonged inactivity or an unexpected interruption in participation in studies.

These indicators help identify situations where a student may require additional support or counselling.

Principles of data interpretation

When using IntelliBoard data, the following principles apply:

• individual low indicators do not automatically signal an issue that requires intervention;

• data must always be interpreted in the context of the course and the organization of studies;

• IntelliBoard indicators do not independently provide a complete overview of a student’s progress (for example, if the lecturer does not use Moodle for delivering learning activities);

• before contacting a student, it should be assessed whether the concern is recurring and systemic.

Actions in case of concerns

In the case of major and systemic concerns:

• the study consultant contacts the student and discusses the concerns;

• if necessary, the study consultant discusses the case with the programme director.

Depending on the nature of the concern:

• for issues related to curriculum completion, regulations, or support services, the case is primarily handled by the study consultant;

• for academic concerns, the programme director is involved;

• in the case of complex concerns, an action plan is jointly agreed upon with the programme director.

In more complex cases, the study consultant may involve other relevant parties.

Other relevant parties may include, among others, the dean, the institute director, and other individuals who are important in the context of a specific case. No separate roles are defined for them in the IntelliBoard environment. In decision making, they rely on aggregated information provided by the programme director or the study consultant.

The need for and relevance of involving other parties are determined by the programme director and/or the study consultant.

When initial contact is initiated by the programme director or the study consultant, communication usually takes place via email. Further communication may take place by phone, in a face-to-face meeting, or as an online meeting (e.g. via Microsoft Teams), depending on the student’s needs and circumstances.

The lecturer chooses the most appropriate method of contact.

For concerns related to curriculum completion, regulations, or support services, the study consultant initiates the initial contact.

For academic concerns, the programme director initiates the initial contact.

In the case of complex concerns, the programme director and the study consultant jointly decide who will make the initial contact.

For course-related concerns that do not need to be escalated to the programme director or the study consultant, the lecturer contacts the student.

During the initial contact, the reason for reaching out is explained to the student, and the student is asked whether they would like advice or support in addressing the situation. If the student does not wish to receive additional counselling or support, the process ends at this stage.

No separate case-based register or additional documentation is created for student concerns. Communication and agreements take place through regular work channels (such as email), following data protection requirements and the principle of data minimization.

All discussions comply with current data protection requirements and follow the principle of data minimization.

IntelliBoard data is used exclusively for teaching and student support purposes. Access to the data is role-based and justified. When communicating with students, references are made to general observations and patterns rather than detailed log or activity data. IntelliBoard data is not used for assessment or the application of sanctions.

The IntelliBoard usage process is reviewed at least once per academic year.

The review includes:

• feedback from users (lecturers, programme directors and study consultants);

• analysis of IntelliBoard usage activity and usage patterns;

• assessment of the need to supplement or modify reports, roles, and process descriptions.

Regular review of the process helps ensure that the use of IntelliBoard continues to effectively and purposefully support the university’s teaching and support processes.