The LATUX workflow: designing and deploying awareness tools in technology-enabled learning settings

Designing, deploying and validating learning analytics tools for instructors or students is a challenge requiring techniques and methods from different disciplines, such as software engineering, human-computer interaction, educational design and psychology. Whilst each of these disciplines has consolidated design methodologies, there is a need for more specific methodological frameworks within the cross-disciplinary space defined by learning analytics. In particular there is no systematic workflow for producing learning analytics tools that are both technologically feasible and truly underpin the learning experience. In this paper, we present the LATUX workflow, a five-stage workflow to design, deploy and validate awareness tools in technology-enabled learning environments. LATUX is grounded on a well-established design process for creating, testing and re-designing user interfaces. We extend this process by integrating the pedagogical requirements to generate visual analytics to inform instructors' pedagogical decisions or intervention strategies. The workflow is illustrated with a case study in which collaborative activities were deployed in a real classroom.