Endless horizons?

Abstract

A few years after the emergence of learning analytics as a relevant topic in educational research, which has been accompanied by several publications devoted to the theme, we still see how the different topics seem to alternate both converging and diverging trends. Thus, whereas sometimes different approaches seem to converge into the study of the same issue or situation, other times the same approaches are applied to solve different problems in a divergent way. This situation becomes more complex with the added inclusion of new technological advances and analysis techniques, as a result of which the extension of the scope of learning analytics as a discipline may be perceived as endless or boundless. This is an introduction to the Track on Learning Analytics within the Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality 2015 Conference, which aims to address some of the current concerns on learning analytics and help clearing the horizon. This introductory paper provides an overview of the rationale of the track's proposal, including different topics open for discussion; the introduction is followed by an insight of the submission management and participants' selection process. Then, a detailed summary of the manuscripts accepted for participation in the conference is presented.