Entry
Reader's guide
Entries A-Z
Subject index
Web Analytics
Web analytics involves the collection and analysis of data generated by interaction with a website or a Web-based application. Web analytics can be used to enhance the performance of the site or application and to inform an organization of use and impact.
Web analytics have been used to investigate users’ characteristics and interaction patterns. Web analytics can be used to predict which products might be of interest to specific customers. The analysis of page visits and site usage can help determine needs and focus. Web analytics can also be used in digital forensics to detect security threats and gather evidence for law enforcement. In the academic world, Web analytics can support organizational planning. For example, as more and more library resources and services are moving online, visits to an online catalogue system can aid in determining subscriptions and technical support for library services. The ubiquity of distributed information invites the integration of Web analytics in many sectors. Educational institutions can track traffic flow on websites, calibrate displays, and manage Web-based learning systems.
This entry begins with a discussion of the techniques and tools used for Web analytics. Next, it examines how Web analytics are used in online education. The final section of this entry focuses on the implications of Web analytics.
Techniques and Tools for Web Analytics
Clicks and page requests are the essential components of Web analytics. According to Bernard J. Jansen, Web analytics started in the 1960s with the analysis of Web logs. These Web logs can be categorized as transaction or search logs. Transaction log analysis (TLA) documents and measures direct interactions (e.g., clicks, page views, length of sessions); search log analysis (SLA) tracks searching behaviors (e.g., keywords used and recommendations followed).
Web analytics depends on quantitative data provided by host or third-party servers. Small packets of data called cookies are sent to a user. These cookies gather and send relevant information to a server system. This is known as server-side data collection. However, accurate data collection through this method becomes challenging. Internet service providers assign dynamic IP addresses to computers. User security options may block some or all cookies. Client-side data collection is an alternative. With this approach, the uniqueness, accuracy, and frequency of visits can be captured with snippets or tags written with various programming languages. These tags are usually embedded in the web-page requested by clients and can send relevant data such as length of page load to a server. A hybrid model of using both methods is often recommended, according to Brian Clifton.
As human-computer interactions on the Web have become predominantly omnipresent in daily life, Web analytics also uses qualitative techniques like surveys, interviews, and lab experiments to make more meaningful interpretation and reports. To determine quantitative or qualitative methods for Web analytics, key performance indicators (KPIs) need to be established. For example, a university that adopts a new learning management system (LMS) may experience unusually high demand for chat-based technical support. The objectives of an analysis might include evaluating the Web-based resources and services and assessing the need to adjust the personnel assigned to technical support. The KPIs can include paths used to reach the support page, clicks within the LMS, session length, readability of support materials, visibility of icons, and frequency of chat sessions. Each of these KPIs will then determine how the segmentation of Web data will be configured, collected, analyzed, and reported.
...
- Adaptive Learning Systems
- Adaptive and Responsive Websites
- Adaptive Learning Software and Platforms
- Avatars and Agents in Virtual Systems
- Cloud-Based Adaptive Systems
- Data Mining and Recommendation Engines
- Design and Creation of Adaptive Educational Systems
- Dynamic Student Profiles
- Intelligent Tutoring Systems
- Learners and Instructional Control in Adaptive Systems
- Learning Analytics
- Learning Analytics for Programming Competencies
- Learning Analytics for Writing Competencies
- Personalized Learning and Instruction
- Student Modeling
- System and Learner Control in Adaptive Systems
- Technologies That Learn and Adapt to Users
- Adult Education and Workforce Development
- Diffusion of New Technologies in the Workplace
- Distance Learning for Degree Completion for Working Adults
- Distance Learning for Professional Development
- Education in Workplace Settings
- Information and Communication Technologies: Competencies in the 21st Century Workforce
- Information and Communication Technologies: Knowledge Management
- Information and Communication Technologies: Organizational Learning
- Learning in the Defense Sector With Simulated Systems
- Learning in the Health Sector With Simulated Systems
- Learning in the Manufacturing Sector With Simulated Systems
- Learning in the Marketing Sector With Simulated Systems
- Technology and Information Literacy
- Training Using Virtual Worlds
- Wearable Learning Environments
- Web 2.0/3.0 in the Workplace
- Agent Technologies
- Analysis of Educational Needs and Requirements
- Causal Influence Diagrams
- Cognitive Task Analysis
- Competency Models and Frameworks
- Critical Decision Method
- Knowledge and Skill Hierarchies
- Knowledge Elicitation
- Learning Analytics
- Learning Analytics for Programming Competencies
- Learning Analytics for Writing Competencies
- Skill Decomposition
- Structural Learning Theory
- Think Aloud Protocol Analysis
- Workflow Analysis
- Communication Technologies
- Asynchronous Tools and Technologies
- Blogs as a Communication Tool
- Collaborative Communication Tools and Technologies
- Cybersecurity
- Data Streaming
- Digital Identity
- Message Design for Digital Media
- Multimedia and Image Design
- Social Networking
- Socially Constructed Virtual Artifacts
- Synchronous Tools and Technologies
- Wikis as a Collaboration Tool
- Digital Literacy
- Assessing Literacy Skills in the 21st Century
- Digital Literacy and Adult Learners
- Digital Literacy and Critical Thinking
- Digital Literacy in Elementary and Secondary Education
- Digital Literacy in Higher Education
- Digital Literacy: Overview and Definition
- Information, Technology, and Media Literacies
- Measuring and Assessing Literacy Skills
- Media Literacies
- Methods for Teaching Digital Literacy Skills
- Technology and Information Literacy
- Twenty-First Century Technology Skills
- Verification and Validation of Digital Resources
- Visual Literacy Skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education
- Educational Technology Research
- Activity Theory
- Benefit-Cost Analysis
- Case Study Research in Educational Technology
- Cost Analysis in Assessments of Educational Technology
- Design and Development Research
- Design-Based Research
- Evaluation Research
- Experimental Research and Educational Technology
- Four-Component Instructional Design (4C/ID)
- Instructional Design Research
- Qualitative Research Tools for Educational Technology Research
- Research in Schools
- Emerging Tools and Technologies
- Evaluation, Assessment, and Testing
- Adaptive Testing
- Assessment of Attitudes and Predispositions
- Assessment of Problem Solving and Higher Order Thinking
- Automated Scoring of Essays
- Certification of Instructional Designers in Educational Technology
- Certification of Teachers in Educational Technology
- Criterion-Referenced Assessments
- Educational Data Mining
- Evaluation of Educational Technology Competencies
- Formative Assessment
- Item Response Theory
- Knowledge and Skill-Based Digital Badges
- Measuring and Assessing TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge)
- Natural Language Processing in Learning Environments
- Norm-Based Assessments
- Objectives-Based Assessments
- Performance Assessment
- Program Evaluation
- Stealth Assessment
- Summative Assessment
- Feedback and Measurement Tools and Technologies
- Data Sensing and Visualization Systems
- Diagnostic Feedback in Formal Educational Settings
- Diagnostic Feedback in Informal Educational Settings
- E-Portfolio Technologies
- E-Portfolios in Higher Education
- E-Portfolios in K–12 Education
- Learning Analytics
- Learning Analytics for Programming Competencies
- Learning Analytics for Writing Competencies
- Recommendation Engines
- Reflection and Preflection Prompts and Scaffolding
- Repair Theory
- Student Response Systems
- Game-Based Learning
- Alignment of Games and Learning Goals
- Assessment in Game-Based Learning
- Games and Transformational Play
- Games for Adult Learners
- Games in Business and Industry Settings
- Games in Elementary and Middle School Settings
- Games in High School Settings
- Games in Higher Education
- Games in Medical Training
- Games in Military Training
- Games to Promote Inquiry Learning
- Games: Impact on Interest and Motivation
- Games: Impact on Learning
- Gamification
- Management Flight Simulators
- Serious Games
- Video Games and Student Assessment
- History of Educational Technology
- Informal Learning
- Design of Engaging Informal Learning Places and Spaces
- Informal Learning Strategies
- Information and Communication Technologies for Informal Learning
- Integrating Informal Learning with Programs at the College/University Level
- Integrating Informal Learning with School Programs at the Secondary Level
- Learning in Museums
- Learning in Outdoor Settings
- Measuring Learning in Informal Contexts
- Seamless Learning
- Ubiquitous Learning
- Virtual Tours
- Information Tools and Technologies
- Cloud Computing
- Cloud-Based Adaptive Systems
- Collaborative Communication Tools and Technologies
- E-Book Standards
- Geographic Information Systems and Education
- Information and Communication Technologies for Formal Learning
- Information and Communication Technologies for Informal Learning
- Information and Communication Technologies in Developed Countries
- Information and Communication Technologies in Developing Countries
- Information and Communication Technologies in Multinational and Multicultural Contexts
- Information and Communication Technologies: Competencies in the 21st Century Workforce
- Information and Communication Technologies: Knowledge Management
- Information and Communication Technologies: Organizational Learning
- Mobile Tools and Technologies for Learning and Instruction
- Planning for Technology Upgrades and Improvements
- Podcasting for Learning and Information Sharing
- Radio Frequency Identification in Education
- Repositories for Learning and Instructional Apps
- Infrastructure Development
- Instructional Design
- Cognitive Apprenticeship
- Cognitive Flexibility Theory
- Cognitive Load Theory
- Component Display Theory
- Conditions of Learning: Gagné’s Nine Events of Instruction
- Curricula for Advanced Learning Technologies
- Four Component Instructional Design (4C/ID)
- Instructional Design Models
- Instructional Design Practice
- Instructional Design Research
- Instructional Designer Preparation
- Multimedia and Image Design
- Self-Regulated E-Learning Design Principles
- Technology-Facilitated Experiential Learning
- Instructional and Learning Strategies
- Anchored Instruction
- Case-Based Reasoning and Educational Technology
- Conditions of Learning
- Cultural Considerations in Technology-Enhanced Learning and Instruction
- Distributed Cognitions in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning
- Elaboration Theory
- Embodied Learning Systems
- Engaged Learning
- Informal Learning Strategies
- Instructional Transaction Theory
- Mindtools
- Model-Based Approaches
- Multimedia and Image Design
- Problem- and Task-Centered Approaches
- Technology Support for Conceptual Change
- Technology-Enhanced Inquiry Learning
- Technology-Facilitated Experiential Learning
- Interactive and Immersive Multimedia
- 3D Immersive Environments
- Biofeedback Learning Environments
- Haptic Technologies to Support Learning
- Head-Mounted Displays in Learning and Instruction
- Holographic Imaging in Learning and Instruction
- New Visual World and Future Competencies
- Simulation-Based Learning
- Training Using Virtual Worlds
- Transmedia in Education
- Virtual Worlds
- Internet and Information Resources
- Cloud Computing
- Cloud-Based Adaptive Systems
- Creative Commons
- Desktop and Virtual Publishing
- Digital Archives
- Digital Curation
- Digital Storytelling
- Intellectual Property
- Internet of Things
- Internet: Impact and Potential for Learning and Instruction
- Metatagging of Learning Objects and Apps
- Online Mentoring
- Web Analytics
- Journals
- Mobile Technologies
- 3G and 4G Networks
- Apps for Use at the Elementary Level
- Apps for Use at the Secondary Level
- Apps for Use in Higher Education
- Integrated and Networked Mobile Devices for Learning and Instruction
- Learning and Instructional Apps
- Mobile Assistive Technologies
- Mobile Devices: Impact on Learning and Instruction
- Mobile Tools and Technologies for Learning and Instruction
- Radio Frequency Identification in Education
- Remote Sensing Technologies
- Tablet Devices in Education and Training
- Touch-Based and Gesture-Based Devices
- Wearable Learning Environments
- Open Access Resources
- Performance Technologies
- Psychological and Social Issues and Perspectives
- Accelerated Learning
- Affective Factors in Learning, Instruction, and Technology
- ARCS Model
- Behavioral Factors in Learning, Instruction, and Technology
- Cognition and Human Learning
- Cognitive Load Theory
- Constructivist Theory
- Cyberbullying
- Digital Divide
- Dual Coding Theory
- Educational Technology, Philosophical Perspectives on
- Experiential Learning
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Intersubjectivity and Educational Technology
- Motivation, Emotion Control, and Volition
- Neuroscience and Learning
- Situated Learning
- Vulnerability in Learning
- Simulation and Modeling Technologies
- Social Media
- Second Self
- Collaboration and Social Networking
- Integrating Social Media Into Learning and Instruction
- Measuring Contacts and Interactions in Social Networks
- New Visual World and Future Competencies
- Semantic Web
- Social Media and Networking
- Social Media in Elementary School Settings
- Social Media in Higher Education
- Social Media in Secondary School Settings
- Social Media in the Workplace
- Social Media, Identity in
- Social Network Analysis
- Social Networking
- Web 2.0 and Beyond
- Special Education
- Assistive Technology
- Assistive Technology for Persons With Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Gesture-Based Learning and Instructional Systems
- Technologies for Persons With Dyslexia
- Technologies for Persons With Hearing Impairments
- Technologies for Persons With Physical Disabilities
- Technologies for Persons With Visual Impairments
- Technologies for Students With Attention Deficit Disorder
- Technologies to Enhance Communication for Persons With Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Universal Design
- Universal Design for Learning
- Teaching and Learning With Technology
- Badges and Skill Certification
- Collaborative Learning and 21st-Century Skills
- Collaborative Learning With Technology
- Leadership in E-Learning
- Learning and Instructional Apps
- Learning by Modeling
- Learning Objects
- Massive Open Online Courses
- Measuring and Assessing TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge)
- Natural Language Processing in Learning Environments
- Pedagogical Knowledge
- Personal Learning Environments
- Seamless Learning
- Self-Regulated E-Learning Design Principles
- Technologies for Critical Thinking Development
- Technologies for Gifted Students
- Technologies in Arts Education
- Technologies in Humanities Education
- Technologies in Mathematics Education
- Technologies in Medical Education
- Technologies in Science Education
- Technologies Supporting Self-Regulated Learning
- Technologies to Support Engineering Education
- Technology Knowledge
- Technology, Pedagogy, and the Learning Society
- TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge)
- TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge): Implications for 21st-Century Teacher Education
- Twenty-First-Century Technology Skills
- Virtual Learning Environments
- Virtual Schools and Programs
- Virtual Teams
- Technology Diffusion and Integration
- Change Agency
- Diffusion of Distance Education
- Diffusion of New Technologies in the Workplace
- Disruptive Innovations
- Disruptive Technologies
- Early Adopters
- Emerging Educational Technologies
- Innovators and Risk Takers in Education
- Predicting Change and Adoption of Technology Innovations
- Systemic Change and Educational Technology
- Technology Integration
- Loading...
Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL
-
Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life -
Read modern, diverse business cases
-
Explore hundreds of books and reference titles
Read next
More like this
Sage Recommends
We found other relevant content for you on other Sage platforms.
Have you created a personal profile? Login or create a profile so that you can save clips, playlists and searches