Within the last 10 years, learning analytics has become an important field with stakeholders beginning to look at how data can be used to assist education. Instructors may not be used to thinking about data that comes from student learning, so here are some basics to get started.  Learning analytics is referred to as the collection and analysis of student data to provide insight into courses and student education. It is often used with the goal of better optimizing learning. This process is not new as you may have already been doing a similar process in the form of observations. Through relying on visual data such as the number of students paying attention, you can determine how well students are learning and make necessary changes to the course. Learning analytics is similar as it gathers data through online resources. It allows for a deeper insight by collecting data that is often not visual. However, due to the recent development of the field, instructors are not as familiar w...