DTEI Newsletter

Introducing UCI Spark

by | Sep 11, 2024 | DTEI Newsletter, DTEI Stories

The Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning and UCI Compass Teaching and Learning Analytics are excited to introduce a new, first-of-its-kind student-centered analytics tool, UCI Spark. Spark, a smartphone-friendly web app, will offer two key features to support the success of the students who use it:

  1. Spark offers students analytics about their learning activities in UCI Canvas that will help them contextualize their learning behaviors and encourage the development of healthy learning habits.
  2. Spark leverages a range of institutional data sources to intelligently present students with tailored recommendations for campus student success services and opportunities, driving deeper engagement with the campus including academic support, career preparation, supplemental programs for high-achieving students, and more!

UCI Spark is being rolled out in a year-long pilot that began in the summer with composition classes and is expanding in fall to first-year and transfer undergraduate gateway courses. Spark is expected to be available to all students in all courses by the end of the 2024-25 academic year. While teaching a Spark-enabled course doesn’t require any adjustment to your teaching, we will notify instructors and provide additional information about how to optionally support this service as the tool becomes available in those courses. If you have any questions or suggestions about the project, you are welcome to contact the UCI Spark project team at spark@uci.edu.

For more information about UCI Spark, please visit the Compass TLA Spark project page.