I am finding out a bit more around Learning Analytics. There was a hotseat a couple of weeks ago as part of the Networked Learning conference. This looked at Learning Analytics as a dream, nightmare or fairy dust. There was quite a lot of support for the nightmare take. The dark side is always of interest for academics.

http://www.slideshare.net/sbs/learning-analytics-dream-nightmare-or-fairydust

<div style="width:425px" id="__ss_10473705"> <strong style="display:block;margin:12px 0 4px">Learning Analytics: Dream, Nightmare, or Fairydust?</strong> <div style="padding:5px 0 12px"> View more presentations from Simon Buckingham Shum </div> </div>

the slides are on Slideshare from ascilite2011

It seems to me that if you accept statistics then quality assurance follows pretty soon. Statistical process control comes out of manufacturing so people in universities may form a resistance. But there may be some aspects that are worth a look.

I have found some links to come back to

http://www.solaresearch.org/mission/

Society with a conference coming up

http://learninganalytics.net/syllabus.html

guide to some content, course not active at the moment but plenty of connections including

http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume43/ActionAnalyticsMeasuringandImp/162422

this has the idea of process.

So I think quality ideas could fit with this, starting with Deming.