Digital footprint of a learner in the system of additional professional education of adults

The research problem and the rationale for its relevance. At the current stage of educational digitalization, there is an intensive development of the digital educational environment, which is accompanied by the generation of big data describing student activities and constituting their digital footprint. The advancement of artificial intelligence systems allows for the real-time analysis of this data and the use of the analysis results for managing the pedagogical system. This raises the problem of identifying the specifics of the student’s digital footprint and the main directions of its use, specifically in the context of adult continuing professional education. The goal of research. The concept of “digital footprint of the learner” in relation to the additional professional education of adults. Identification of the structure, main components and leading directions of application of the digital footprint of the learner in relation to the system of additional professional adult education. Methodology (materials and methods). The following comprehensive methods were used in the research: study and analysis of pedagogical literature, comparative analysis of learning organization experience (within the framework of basic and supplementary educational programs) based on the use of modern digital educational platforms, including experience in the formation, processing, and analysis of the student’s digital footprint. The methodological foundation of our research is the system-activity approach to learning, the theory of contextual learning, and an orientation towards the organizational and pedagogical conditions for the implementation of the pedagogical process. Results. The article deals with the concept of a learner's digital footprint, its structure, sources of formation and the main directions of applying the results of its analysis in the educational process. The views of modern researchers on the main aspects related to the concept of “digital footprint of the learner” and related issues are analyzed. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the fact that the system of ideas about the necessity of including in the digital footprint of the learner the information describing certain aspects of the learner's professional activity is formed and the extended concept of the learner's digital footprint is developed. Theoretical novelty of the research consists in the fact that the ideas about the structure, sources and directions of using the results of analyzing the digital footprint of the learner in order to reflect the specifics of additional professional education of adults are significantly expanded. The traditional seven-component structure of a learner's digital footprint is supplemented with three new components. The list of big data sources that form the basis of the digital learner's footprint has been expanded. The list of the main directions of application of educational data analysis methods has been significantly supplemented. Practical novelty of the research consists in the fact that the developed system of ideas about the essence, structure, sources of formation and directions of using the digital footprint of the learner in additional professional education of adults can serve as a basis for designing the content and forms and scenarios for the implementation of additional professional programs of professional development and retraining, aimed at the effective use of big data of educational nature in the management of pedagogical.