Editorial: Augmenting Learning Analytics with Multimodal Sensory Data

The goal of Learning Analytics 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 non-technology centered 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 of the learning process. The use and integration of the different modalities present in those signals is known as Multimodal Learning Analytics. This editorial presents a brief introduction to this new variation of Learning Analytics and summarizes the four representative articles included in this special issue. The editorial closes with a small discussion about the current opportunities and challenges in multimodal learning analytics.