‘The dashboard made me do it’
PhD with distinction image: Stef van Liempd
Digital learning resources provide teachers with insights into pupils’ progress via dashboards. However, it is not immediately clear how teachers utilise this information in their teaching. Manel van Kessel investigated which factors influence the use of these dashboards in primary education. She was awarded her PhD on 30 September as the 71st PhD graduate at ICLON and was the first to receive the distinction ‘cum laude’.
Interesting and relevant research for educational practice
Over 80 percent of primary schools already use a learning dashboard. However, it is not yet straightforward for teachers to know how to use the data in the dashboard effectively and to act on it in a pedagogically sound manner. This is often particularly challenging for teachers when it comes to making (real-time) ad hoc decisions based on data.
What fascinated Manel most in her research was the diversity of perspectives on the use of dashboards. The responsibility for meaningful use does not lie solely with the teacher. It requires a combination of factors and shared responsibilities, ranging from the classroom and the school to technology development and education policy. The most difficult part was doing justice to the complexity of dashboard use. Many factors are interlinked and vary depending on the teacher and context. At the same time, dashboards and educational technology are evolving at enormous speed. Every answer raised new questions: ‘We could easily have carried out another hundred follow-up studies.’
PhD with distinction
The ‘cum laude’ distinction has been requested on account of the high quality of the thesis. It comprises five studies, three of which have already been published in leading journals. Furthermore, the research is exceptional because Manel employed a wide range of different methods and techniques to investigate the subject. In addition, Manel’s high degree of independence and her drive are also worthy of mention. In her laudation, supervisor Nadira Saab jokingly remarked that Manel had managed the supervisory team (Nadira Saab, Inge Molenaar, Mario de Jonge and Carolien Knoop-van Campen) exceptionally well. Manel completed her PhD on a part-time basis and also combined her doctoral research with a demanding job at Kennisnet.
On average, only 5 per cent of PhD candidates are awarded a degree cum laude, with twice as many men as women achieving this (Bol, 2023). The university’s cum laude scheme involves a comprehensive procedure whereby, in addition to the regular examination and assessment committee, two external experts are also consulted for their advice on the thesis and the proposal for a cum laude award. In Manel’s case, these were two international academics from Finland and Scotland respectively, who also assessed the thesis.
The rise of AI-powered dashboards
In the discussion section of her thesis, Manel mentions various possible avenues for further research that build on her work, such as: the development of data literacy and teacher professionalisation. She also highlights the rise of AI-powered dashboards and their implications for the role of the teacher.
Through podcasts and presentations for researchers and education professionals, Manel makes the findings accessible to both the academic world and practitioners. In doing so, she emphasises the importance of data literacy: the ability to understand, critically evaluate and utilise data in education. The data literacy test she has developed offers opportunities for further research. Furthermore, it can help to shape targeted professional development for teachers.