Generation of graphical representations of student tracking data in course management systems

An approach of employing information visualisation to develop systems that facilitate instructors in Web-based distance learning is presented here. The paper describes a tool, called CourseVis, that uses multidimensional student tracking data collected by CMS and generates graphical representations that can be used by instructors to gain an understanding of what is happening in distance learning classes. The work followed a systematic approach that started from collecting the instructors´ needs, produced some appropriate graphical representations of student tracking data, and evaluated the effectiveness, efficiency and usefulness of the proposed representations. The evaluation has shown that with CourseVis the instructors can identify tendencies in their classes, quickly discover individuals that need special attention, and are able to provide better support to their students.