September 21, 2021

LA4SLE workshop

Learning Analytics for Smart Learning Environments

in conjunction with the EC-TEL 2021 conference

contact: la4sle@gmail.com

Workshop proceedings

LA4SLE workshop proceedings are available at http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3024/

Workshop schedule

About the workshop

Smart Learning Environments (SLEs) provide learners with adequate support at the right time and place based on their needs, which are determined by analyzing their learning behaviors, performance and contexts [1]. SLEs have the potential to support a myriad of learning scenarios that connect formal and informal learning, including many addressing the global challenges derived from the pursuit of a free, safe and sustainable world. With this aim, SLEs may collect data about learners and educators actions and interactions related to their participation in learning activities as well as about different aspects of the context in which they can be carried out from sources such as Learning Management Systems, handheld devices, computers, cameras, microphones, wearables, and environmental sensors. These data can then be transformed and analyzed using different computational and visualization techniques to obtain actionable information that can trigger a wide range of interventions aiming to promote better learning in both formal and informal contexts.


Learning analytics (LA) is “the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data about learners and their contexts, for purposes of understanding and optimizing learning and environments in which it occurs” [2]. As a consequence, LA research is expected to provide data insight into the aforementioned actionable information required by SLEs [3], and important research efforts are being carried out with this goal [4].

[1] Spector, J. M., “Conceptualizing the emerging field of smart learning environments”, Smart learning environments, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1–10, 2014.

[2] Long, P., & Siemens, G., “Penetrating the fog: Analytics in learning and education”. EducauseReview Online, 46(5), pp. 31-40, 2011.

[3] Papamitsiou Z., Economides A., “Learning Analytics for Smart Learning Environments: A Meta-Analysis of Empirical Research Results from 2009 to 2015”. In: Spector M., Lockee B., Childress M. (eds) Learning, Design, and Technology. Springer, Cham, 2016.

[4] Tabuenca, B., Serrano-Iglesias, S., Carruana-Martín, A., Villa-Torrano, C., Dimitriadis, Y., Asensio-Pérez, J.I., Alario-Hoyos, C., Gómez-Sánchez, E., Bote-Lorenzo, M.L., Martínez-Monés, A., Delgado-Kloos, C., “Affordances and Core Functions of Smart Learning Environments: A Systematic Literature Review”. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, early access, March 2021.

Objectives and topics

The workshop aims to discuss the main issues to further research, development, and implementation of SLEs and how these overlap with LA. Additionally, how SLE research and practice can utilise the latest advances in LA. Contributions from the following topics are welcome, but not limited to:

  • Identification of actionable indicators to trigger interventions in SLEs

  • Multimodal Learning Analytics in SLEs

  • Visualization techniques for end users in SLEs

  • New learning scenarios supported by SLEs to address global challenges in the pursuit of a free, safe and sustainable world

  • Design of LA that prevents and handle new risks brought by SLEs

  • Evaluation of SLE using LAs

  • Explainable learning analytics for meaningful SLEs

  • Analysis of user engagement in SLEs

  • Interventions in SLEs based on LA

  • Scalable and sustainable system design for SLEs

  • Ethics and privacy in LA and SLEs

Submission guidelines

We invite you to submit your original work for presentation and discussion. The submissions need to be between 5 and 7 pages long formatted using the 1-column style CEUR-ART template. All manuscripts should be carefully blinded for review before submitting them using the EasyChair system.

Each of the submitted manuscripts will be reviewed by at least two members of the Workshop Program Committee. The workshop organizers, as experts in both SLEs and LA, will do meta-reviews and make the final decisions on acceptance. The accepted papers will be published in LA4SLE Workshop Proceedings.


Important dates

June 4, 2021: Submission opens.

July 4, 2021: Deadline for abstract submissions (optional).

July 11, 2021 July 14, 2021: Deadline for manuscript submissions.

July 29, 2021: Notification of acceptance.

September 21, 2021: LA4SLE workshop at EC-TEL 2021

Special issue

Authors of accepted papers will be invited to expand their contributions to be considered for publication in IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies special issue on Technologies for Data-Driven Interventions in Smart Learning Environments.

Workshop organizers

Davinia Hernández-Leo, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain

Élise Lavoué, University Jean Moulin Lyon 3, France

Pedro J. Muñoz-Merino, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain

Miguel L. Bote-Lorenzo, Universidad de Valladolid, Spain

Daniel Spikol, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Program Commitee

Barbara Wasson, University of Bergen, Norway

Yannis Dimitriadis, Universidad de Valladolid, Spain

Elvira Popescu, University of Craiova, Romania

Dragan Gašević, Monash University, Australia

Zacharoula Papamitsiou, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway

Abelardo Pardo, University of South Australia, Australia

Mar Pérez San Agustín, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, France

Mutlu Cukurova, University College London, UK

Patricia Santos, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain

Dai Griffiths, Universidad Internacional de la Rioja, Spain

Kalpani Manathunga, Sri Lanka Institute of Technology, Sri Lanka

Juan I. Asensio-Pérez, Universidad de Valladolid, Spain

Margarita Ortíz, ESPOL, Ecuador

Julien Brosin, Université Toulouse 3 Paul Sabatier, France

Eduardo Gómez-Sánchez, Universidad de Valladolid, Spain

Erkan Er, Middle East Technical University, Turkey

Carlos Delgado Kloos, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain

Rémi Venant, Université du Mans