Although learning analytics (LA) holds great potential to improve teaching and learning, LA research and practice are currently riddled with limitations that impact every stage of the LA life cycle. The present paper offers an overview of these challenges before proposing strategies to overcome them and exploring how the recent innovations brought forth by language models can improve LA research and practice. In particular, we encourage the empowerment of teachers during LA development, as this would strengthen the theoretical foundation of LA solutions and increase their interpretability and usability. Furthermore, we provide examples of how process data can be used to understand learning processes and generate more interpretable LA insights. Furthermore, we explore how LLMs could come into play in LA to generate interpretable insights, timely and actionable feedback, increase personalization, and support teachers’ tasks more broadly.

In higher education, the cultivation of research competency is pivotal for students’ critical thinking development and their subsequent transition into the professional workforce. While statistics plays a fundamental role in supporting the completion of a research project, it is often perceived as challenging, particularly by students in majors outside mathematics or statistics. The connection between students’ statistical proficiency and their research competency remains unexplored despite its significance. To address this gap, we utilized the supervised machine learning approach to predict students’ research competency, as represented by their performance in a research methods class, with predictors of students’ proficiency in statistical topics. Predictors relating to students’ learning behavior in a statistics course such as assignment completion and academic dishonesty are also included as auxiliary variables. Results indicate that the three primary categories of statistical skills—namely, understanding of statistical concepts, proficiency in selecting appropriate statistical methods, and statistics interpretation skills— can be used to predict students’ research competency, as demonstrated by their final course scores and letter grades. This study advocates for strategic emphasis on the identified influential topics to enhance efficiency in developing students’ research competency. Findings could inform instructors in adopting a strategic approach to teaching the statistical component of research for enhanced efficiency.