Learning Analytics

The Graduate Certificate in Learning Analytics (LA) equips education researchers and practitioners with the knowledge and tools necessary to understand and improve learning and the contexts in which it occurs through new data sources and analytical approaches. Students deepen their disciplinary knowledge of LA methodologies, applications and ethical issues while developing technical proficiency with cutting-edge analytic tools, such as Tableau and R, both of which are used to apply computational analysis techniques to real-world educational datasets.

Guided by the North Carolina State University motto and mantra, Think and Do, the graduate certificate program will help students to:

Think deeply about learning analytics as an emerging discipline for understanding and improving learning; and,

Do something impactful with the technical skills and knowledge gained!

Eligibility

Requirements for admission to the certificate program include:

• A bachelor’s degree with a GPA of 3.0 or greater on a 4.0 scale, a 3.0 derived from the last 60 credits of undergraduate study, or a graduate degree from an accredited college or university;
• A resumé that identifies educational preparation and professional employment and experiences;
• A professional goals statement indicating how the GCLA will enhance job performance or career development, and
• A projected timeline for completing certificate requirements.

Applicants with less than a 3.0 GPA at the undergraduate level may be admitted provisionally if professional experiences and goals are deemed high quality, with provisional admits required to earn a grade of B or better to remain enrolled.

Plan of Study

The Graduate Certificate in Learning Analytics (GCLA) is composed of 12 credit hours of online, graduate-level coursework. The certificate may be completed entirely online from anywhere in the world. No transfer credits from other institutions or from NC State courses are allowed as substitutes. The expected time to finish the certificate is one to two years (two courses offered every fall semester, two courses offered every spring semester).

The traditional course sequence is ECI 586 and ECI 587 in fall, and 588 and ECI 589 in spring. It is ideal for students to start the certificate with ECI 586 Introduction to Learning Analytics, which introduces some core skills with R coding that are relevant to other courses. However, if students wish to start the certificate in spring, they can catch up by taking some supplemental R modules, or by working primarily in the non-programming track.

The expected timeline for completion is one year; however, students are allowed up to three years to finish all courses. As the technology in this field is emerging and rapidly changing, students should seek to complete the certificate in one to two years, if possible.

For information on program faculty, please visit the "Program Faculty" section of the Learning Analytics page on the College of Education website.

Career Prospects

The ability to apply powerful analytics to the fields of education and training has resulted in rapid changes for many careers. Gain deeper insight into how learning is accomplished and awareness of the impact of the latest educational tools to propel your career to the next level working in education analysis, design, development or supervision. Novice and veteran education professionals alike will find the materials covered in the LA graduate certificate program to be useful for entering the industry or keeping up with quickly evolving standards, methodologies and options for evaluating learning processes.