The integration of Project-Based Learning (PBL) and whole-person development goals in art and design education at application-oriented universities faces practical dilemmas including the black-boxing of learning processes, the subjectivity of comprehensive quality assessment, and the lag in pedagogical intervention. Situated within China's Five-Education Integration policy framework, this study employs Learning Analytics to examine learning behavior representation and process tracking in PBL. A learning behavior analysis system was constructed comprising four layers: data collection, behavior modeling, predictive warning, and pedagogical application. Key modules include multimodal learning behavior representation, PBL process tracking and risk warning, and holistic competency assessment with teaching decision optimization. The system embeds holistic competency evaluation into the PBL workflow, enabling pre-class learner profiling, in-process pedagogical regulation, and post-class reflective improvement. It provides an operational technical solution for the transition from experience-driven to data-driven teaching reform, supporting the attainment of whole-person development goals encompassing moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic and labor education.

Yi Shi, Xiaoyu Yu, Hui Zhang. Learning Behavior Representation, Process Tracking and Teaching Decision Optimization in PBL: A Learning Analytics Approach for Whole-Person Development. International Journal of New Developments in Education (2026), Vol. 8, Issue 4: 105-112. https://doi.org/10.25236/IJNDE.2026.080415.

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