| Sumario: | Background: During the past decade, the increasingly heterogeneous field of learning analytics has been critiqued for an over‐emphasis on data‐driven approaches at the expense of paying attention to learning designs. Method and objective: In response to this critique, we investigated the role of learning design in learning analytics through a systematic literature review. 161 learning analytics (LA) articles were examined to identify indicators that were based on learning design events and their associated metrics. Through this research, we address two objectives. First, to achieve a better alignment between learning design and learning analytics by proposing a reference framework, where we present possible connections between learning analytics and learning design. Second, to present how LA indicators and metrics have been researched and applied in the past. Results and conclusion: In our review, we found that a number of learning analytics papers did indeed consider learning design activities for harvesting user data. We also found a consistent increase in the number and quality of indicators and their evolution over the years. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic?: Learning design (LD) is the pedagogic process used in teaching/learning that leads to the creation and sequencing of learning activities and the environment in which it occurs.Learning analytics (LA) is the measurement, collection, analysis & reporting of data about learners and their contexts, for purposes of understanding and optimizing learning and the environments in which it occurs.There are multiple studies on the alignment of LA and LD but research shows that there is still room for improvement. What this paper adds?: To achieve better alignment between LD and LA. We address this aim by proposing a framework, where we connect the LA indicators with the activity outcomes from the LD.To demonstrate how learning events/objectives and learning activities are associated with LA indicators and how an indicator is formed/created by (several) LA metrics. We address this aim in our review.This article also aims to assist the LA research community in the identification of commonly used concepts and terminologies; what to measure, and how to measure. Implications for practice and/or policy: This article can help course designers, teachers, students, and educational researchers to get a better understanding on the application of LA.This study can further help LA researchers to connect their research with LD.
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