Augmenting Learning Analytics with Multimodal Sensory Data

The goal of learning analytics (LA) is to understand and improve learning. However, learning does not always occur through or mediated by a technological system that can collect digital traces. To be able to study learning in such environments, several signals, such as video and audio, should be captured, processed, and analyzed to produce traces of the actions and interactions of the actors in the learning process. The use and integration of the different modalities present in those signals is known as multimodal learning analytics (MLA). This editorial presents a brief introduction to this new approach to traditional learning analytics and summarizes four representative articles included in this special section. The editorial closes with a short discussion regarding the current opportunities and challenges in MLA.