Interaction, Practical Creativity, and Academic Performance in Digital Higher Education Environments: A Multivariate Analysis from Learning Analytics

Abstract

The growth of digital learning environments has expanded the possibilities for empirically analyzing student participation dynamics through data generated by educational platforms. In the field of learning analytics, digital interaction has become a key indicator of academic performance; however, its qualitative dimension—particularly in terms of practical creativity—has been less explored. This study examines the relationship between digital interaction, creativity in action, and academic performance in higher education using a quantitative approach. To this end, an observational design based on activity logs from virtual platforms is employed, analyzed through descriptive statistics, correlation matrices, regression models, and multilevel models. The results show that student interaction is positively associated with academic performance, especially when participation dynamics involve active forms of engagement in discussions. Practical creativity also shows significant effects, suggesting that the quality of participation is as relevant as its frequency. The multilevel model confirms the stability of these effects when considering variations across courses. These findings highlight the importance of designing digital environments that promote not only participation, but also forms of interaction that foster more active and collaborative learning processes.