Analyzing Interactions in Automatic Formative Assessment Activities for Mathematics in Digital Learning Environments

This paper discusses the theme of the analysis of the interactions in a Digital Learning Environment (DLE) to study formative assessment processes. We propose a definition for a Digital Learning Environment based on the concept of a learning ecosystem, and we provide a model to analyze the interactions occurring among the components of a DLE during automatic formative assessment activities for Mathematics. Using the model, we qualitatively analyze two different activities of symbolic computations, carried out by 396 students of grade 8 in different contexts, to identify the interactions through which formative assessment strategies are developed. In the conclusions, we suggest ways to adopt this model for learning analytics, to analyze the interactions in large online courses.