Prompts, cues, and nudges interventions in higher education: a systematic review

For over a decade, learning analytics has significantly enhanced understanding and development of learning and teaching processes in higher education. In this setting, prompts, cues, and nudges, among others, have gained attention as specific analytics-informed interventions aimed at influencing learners’ behaviour, engagement, and self-regulation. Prompts and cues primarily stem from educational psychology, while nudges derive from behavioural economics, but all three aim to direct learners towards more effective learning decisions. This paper explores the effectiveness of prompts, cues and nudges, as well as the opportunities and challenges associated with their implementations in higher education. Using a systematic literature review guided by the PRISMA framework, the study synthesizes 39 experimental and quasi-experimental studies reported in 31 papers. The results show that these interventions are implemented across diverse higher education settings and differ in their goals, technological designs, and targeted outcomes. Overall, the evidence suggests positive but domain-specific effects: prompts are most often linked to self-regulation, engagement, and knowledge-related outcomes, cues to cognitive and attentional processes, and nudges to behavioural engagement, while all three are associated with positive outcomes in learning and academic performance. Prompts were the most frequently studied intervention and showed the widest range of measured outcomes. This study also highlights Perceptions and Affective Outcomes as an important but underexplored area for future research across analytics-informed prompts, cues, and nudges. The findings further highlight the importance of experimental and quasi-experimental studies for strengthening evidence in learning analytics research.