What the study found
The study found 172 unique open datasets associated with 204 publications in learning analytics, educational data mining, and AI in education. The authors present this as the most comprehensive collection and analysis of open educational datasets to date.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors say open datasets support reproducibility, collaboration, and trust in research findings, and can also increase authors' visibility, credibility, and citation potential. They conclude that their findings and checklist may support wider adoption of open data practices in learning analytics communities and beyond.
What the researchers tested
The researchers conducted a systematic survey of publicly available datasets published alongside research papers. They manually examined 1,125 papers from three flagship conferences, LAK, EDM, and AIED, covering the years 2020 to 2024.
What worked and what didn't
The survey identified 172 datasets, and 143 of them were not captured in any prior survey of open data in learning analytics. The authors also categorized the datasets and analyzed their context, analytical methods, use, and other properties, and they summarized current gaps in the field.
What to keep in mind
The available abstract does not describe detailed study limitations beyond the conference and year range examined. The survey covers only publicly available datasets tied to papers in the three named flagship conferences from 2020 to 2024.
Key points
- 172 unique datasets were identified across 204 publications.
- The survey covered 1,125 papers from LAK, EDM, and AIED between 2020 and 2024.
- 143 of the identified datasets were not included in prior surveys.
- The authors provided an annotated inventory of datasets and related publications.
- The paper includes an 8-item PRACTICE checklist for publishing data.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Survey finds 172 open datasets in learning analytics papers
- Authors:
- Valdemar Švábenský, Brendan Flanagan, Erwin Daniel López Zapata, Atsushi Shimada
- Institutions:
- Kyoto University, Kyushu University, Kyushu University, Masaryk University
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-26
- DOI:
- 10.1145/3798096
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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