This article will help you explore data insights, available for every design. As you add content and activities, and extra detail to each content item, the data insights will build up design visualisations that help show you the decisions you're making, the impact they have on your design and how it will eventually lead into the learning experience. Each design will produce different insights, and their purpose is to help you make informed decisions based on data.
Contains
Data insights - how to view and where the data comes from.
Learning Types - an overview of the 'learning types' used, distribution of learning time and contextual advice / guidance.
Purpose / outcomes - an overview of how your learning outcomes / purpose statements link to your design content items.
Content analysis - visualisations, mostly by learning time, of your methods, technologies learning verbs and content items.
Assessments - an overview of all your content items marked as part of an assessment, and a timeline of where they appear.
Terminology
Learning Types - the six 'standard' learning types (see our Research page for context) plus how other classifiers can be used to define the 'type' of learning experience.
Content item - any planned activity, or content you have added into your design.
Pedagogy Toolbar - the floating bar in the designer view, where you can set the Learning Method, Learning Type, Duration, Assessment details and more.
Ready? Let's use data to help guide our design decisions 📈
Step: Browse to a design and load up the Data Insights view
Selecting the Insights screen from the toolbar
Step: View the Learning Types tab.
The learning types tab shows the distribution of each type in your design
Step: Review your distribution of learning types
The shape helps you decide to add/modify the content of your design
Note: There is no perfect shape for a design, this visualisation is aimed to help you see how your content items are shaping the learning experience. As per the guidance, you may find that too much of one type can impact learners, but the next step once you see this is all yours!
Step: Review the table data - to see a pure overview of how your design learning types are stacking up.
Reviewing the data as a table
Step: Review the guidance and suggestions provided for learning types.
Tips and suggestions to help you make decisions
Optional Step: Expand any type for extra advice or guidance - to explain what this learning type means (if you're less familiar).
Expanding tips for extra advice
Tip: You may have different views to the guidance, that's perfectly normal. The views here are based on your design, but are only 'best practice' - there are no actual rules to follow!
Step: View the Purpose / Outcomes tab
Reviewing the purposes / learning outcome statement distribution across your design content
Step: Review the Distribution of purpose overview graphic
Reviewing the distribution visually or via the data table
Note: This is a simple view to show if one or more purpose statements are overloaded. I.e. in the image above, all statements are well balanced, however you may find your design changes shape as it progresses. Review decisions as you design, via visuals like this.
Step: Review the tips and guidance - to check if there are any suggestions for you to consider.
Tips and suggestions
Tip: In the image above, 15% of the design's content items have no purpose, this could be considered quite high, as they are currently not serving a clear connection to a demonstrable learning outcome.
Step: View the Content analysis tab
Content analysis helps you to evaluate your content items
Step: Review the Methods, Technologies and Verbs by learning time - three visuals
View data in a visual format
Note: You may find spikes, like the one above for Articles and written content, are now looking stark in comparison to the other methods (for example). This can be perfectly fine - but if it causes a moment of designer reflection then it may be worth exploring other learning methods, to ensure an active, engaging and balanced learning experience.
Tip: If you have not set these data, sometimes via the Storyboard view, these visualisations may appear empty. That's OK - you can either ignore them, or set the extra detail.Step: Review the Content items and Learning time - both by section
Viewing the content distribution across the design
Note: These visualisations can help you review the overall shape and balance of where learners will be expected to spend time, across your designed learning experience.
Tip: There's no set guidance here, but you'll want to consider any significant peaks (or troughs) as this can lead to an overload (or the opposite!) on your learners.
Step: View the Assessments tab
Viewing all assessments (marked as a star) in the design
Step: Review the assessment timeline - each 'starred' item is set within the Pedagogy Toolbar or Storyboard view.
Reviewing a timeline of all assessment items in this design
Tip: A ⭐️ (yellow star) is the icon denoting part of an assessment - this is set within the Pedagogy Toolbar or Storyboard view.
Note: You can use this timeline to help evaluate when, and where, assessments appear in the learning experience. It can help ensure you, the designer, are setting learners up for success when it comes to demonstrating the learning outcomes.
Next steps:
Add more detail to content items - it brings essential design detail, and makes these insights more meaningful.
Share your design with a teammate - for feedback.
Consider your review criteria and use the visualisations to help achieve them.
