Overview
ISO/IEC TR 20748-2:2017 - "Information technology for learning, education and training - Learning analytics interoperability - Part 2: System requirements" defines system-level requirements for learning analytics systems and services. The Technical Report describes roles, capabilities and recommended performance for independent, interoperable components that collect, process, analyse and report learner data. It builds on ISO/IEC TR 20748-1 and incorporates use cases from National Bodies and Liaison Organizations.
Key topics and technical requirements
The report addresses practical interoperability and operational concerns for learning analytics, including:
- System roles and capabilities - specification of expected behaviour for components (data sources, storage, analysis engines, visualization, feedback).
- Privacy policy and data protection - requirements for privacy controls, consent, and secure handling of learner data.
- Data collection and flow - requirements for collection, aggregation, integration and lifecycle management of diverse learning data (activity logs, assessments, curriculum metadata).
- Data interoperability - interfaces and formats needed to enable communication between heterogeneous systems and applications.
- Data processing and storage - guidance on storing, translating, filtering and retaining analytics data with attention to scalability and performance.
- Analysis and scalability - requirements for analytics processing, interfaces for analysis queries, and capacity to handle volume, velocity and variety of input data.
- Visualization and dashboards - requirements for accessible, privacy-aware visual interfaces and data interfaces for reporting.
- Feedback actions - specifications for interpreting analytics results and generating actionable responses for learners, teachers and institutions.
- Cross-cutting concerns - accessibility, identity federation, quality of service and data life cycle management.
(Note: the report is a Technical Report; it clarifies system behaviour and does not mandate a single implementation.)
Applications and users
ISO/IEC TR 20748-2:2017 is practical for organizations building, deploying or integrating learning analytics systems:
- Edtech vendors and LMS/platform developers - to design interoperable analytics components and APIs.
- System architects and integrators - to map roles, data flows and performance expectations across services.
- Data engineers and data scientists - to align data collection, storage and processing with privacy and scalability requirements.
- Educational institutions and administrators - to evaluate analytics solutions for privacy, accessibility and interoperability.
- Policy-makers and procurement teams - to specify requirements for learning analytics procurement and governance.
Related standards
- ISO/IEC TR 20748-1 (Learning analytics interoperability - conceptual model and use cases)
- ISO/IEC 24751-1 (accessibility definitions referenced)
- ISO/TS 29585 (dashboards, reporting)
- ISO/IEC 2382 (data terminology)
ISO/IEC TR 20748-2:2017 helps ensure learning analytics solutions are interoperable, privacy-aware and fit for diverse educational contexts - enabling reliable data-driven insights for learners, teachers and institutions.