General Call

The 2025 edition of The International Conference on Learning Analytics & Knowledge (LAK25) will take place in-person in Dublin, Ireland. LAK25 is organized by the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR) with Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin). LAK25 is a collaborative effort by researchers and practitioners to share the most rigorous cutting edge work in learning analytics.

The theme for the 15th annual LAK conference is Expanding the Horizons of Learning Analytics. After this many years of research and practice, the Learning Analytics field has established its own identity, traditions, and community. Pursuing our initial objective of making use of data to better understand and improve learning processes, we have studied and impacted numerous aspects of both formal and informal education. However, as the field enters its teenage years, it faces swift and significant shifts in technological, theoretical, and pedagogical contexts that have a direct effect on our work. For instance, artificial intelligence (AI) offers the yet-to-be-proven promise of facilitating and democratizing data analysis, while also posing significant ethical challenges. Critical theories prompt us to examine the values and unintended consequences of our contributions. Novel educational models demand innovative methods for studying learning processes and measuring and assessing learning outcomes. 

In response, the community is actively reassessing and reshaping what it means to “do learning analytics” within these evolving environments. This process of reinvention often involves stepping out of our comfort zone, established during the field’s formative years, to explore new theories, learning processes, data sources, communication modalities, analytical methods, delivery mechanisms, structures for ownership and adoption, and even reconsidering who leads and implements the analytics process. This year's conference aims to highlight and celebrate the trailblazing works that are expanding the horizons of the learning analytics field.

The LAK conference is intended for both researchers and practitioners. We invite both researchers and practitioners of learning analytics to come and join a proactive dialogue around the future of learning analytics and its practical adoption. We further extend our invite to educators, leaders, administrators, government and industry professionals interested in the field of learning analytics and its related disciplines.

Authors should note that:

Conference Theme and Topics

We welcome submissions from both research and practice, encompassing different theoretical, methodological, empirical and technical contributions to the learning analytics field. Learning analytics research draws on many distinct academic fields, including psychology, the learning sciences, education, neuroscience, computer science and design. We encourage the submission of work conducted in any of these traditions, as long as it is done rigorously. We also welcome research that validates, replicates and examines the generalizability of previously published findings, as well as examines aspects of adoption of existing learning analytics methods and approaches. 

Specifically, this year, in line with the conference main theme of Expanding the Horizons of Learning Analytics, we encourage authors to address some of the following questions in their submissions:

  • Expanding our Theoretical Perspectives: Bringing new theoretical lenses and deepening connections to existing theoretical approaches towards improved understanding of teaching and learning processes.
  • Expanding the Types and Complexity of Data: Multisource and multimodal data paired with relevant and pedagogically valid data fusion strategies. 
  • Expanding our Methodological Toolbox: New ways to collect and analyze data, design learning analytics interventions, and evaluate impact. Special attention will be given to novel uses of Generative AI.
  • Expanding our Delivery Mechanisms: Going beyond traditional dashboard and data visualizations. 
  • Expanding our Ethical Considerations: How learning analytics is helping (or not) to create a more just and inclusive future for all learners.
  • Expanding our Approaches to Responsible Data Use and Analytics: Adopting novel approaches and technologies to ensure privacy protection and trustworthy analytics 
  • Reaching out New Populations and Stakeholders: Diversifying the groups of people we usually work with, including expansion of our geographical and cultural reach.
  • Rethinking the Learning Analytics practice: Novel ways to empower stakeholders in co-designing, leading, and executing learning analytics processes.

Disclaimer: The authors are not required to address the theme of the conference and the consideration of the papers for acceptance will not be based on their fit to the conference theme. The purpose of every annual conference’s theme is to encourage discussions and debate on emerging topics and issues in the field. 

Usual topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

Implementing Change in Learning & Teaching:

  • Ethical issues around learning analytics: Analysis of issues and approaches to the lawful and ethical capture and use of educational data traces; tackling unintended bias and value judgements in the selection of data and algorithms; perspectives and methods that empower stakeholders.
  • Learning analytics adoption: Discussions and evaluations of strategies to promote and embed learning analytics initiatives in educational institutions and learning organizations. Studies that examine processes of organizational change and practices of professional development that support impactful learning analytics use.
  • Learning analytics strategies for scalability: Discussions and evaluations of strategies to scale capture and analysis of information in useful and ethical ways at the program, institution or national level; critical reflections on organizational structures that promote analytics innovation and impact in an institution.
  • Equity, fairness and transparency in learning analytics: Consideration of how certain practices of data collection, analysis and subsequent action impact particular populations and affect human well-being, specifically groups that have been previously disadvantaged. Discussions of how learning analytics may impact (positively or negatively) social change and transformative social justice.

Understanding Learning & Teaching:

  • Data-informed learning theories: Proposals of new learning/teaching theories or revisions/reinterpretations of existing theories based on large-scale data analysis.
  • Insights into specific learning processes: Studies to understand particular aspects of a learning/teaching process through the use of data science techniques, including negative results.
  • Learning and teaching modeling: Creating mathematical, statistical or computational models of a learning/teaching process, including its actors and context.
  • Systematic reviews: Studies that provide a systematic and methodological synthesis of the available evidence in an area of learning analytics.

Tracing Learning & Teaching:

  • Finding evidence of learning: Studies that identify and explain useful data for analyzing, understanding and optimizing learning and teaching.
  • Assessing student learning: Studies that assess learning progress through the computational analysis of learner actions or artifacts.
  • Analytical and methodological approaches: Studies that introduce analytical techniques, methods, and tools for modeling student learning.
  • Technological infrastructures for data storage and sharing: Proposals of technical and methodological procedures to store, share and preserve learning and teaching traces, taking appropriate ethical considerations into account.

Impacting Learning & Teaching:

  • Human-centered design processes: Research that documents practices of giving an active voice to learners, teachers, and other educational stakeholders in the design process of learning analytics initiatives and enabling technologies.
  • Providing decision support and feedback: Studies that evaluate the use and impact of feedback or decision-support systems based on learning analytics (dashboards, early-alert systems, automated messages, etc.).
  • Data-informed decision-making: Studies that examine how teachers, students or other educational stakeholders come to, work with and make changes using learning analytics information.
  • Personalized and adaptive learning: Studies that evaluate the effectiveness and impact of adaptive technologies based on learning analytics.
  • Practical evaluations of learning analytics efforts:  Empirical evidence about the effectiveness of learning analytics implementations or educational initiatives guided by learning analytics.

Conference Tracks

Below is a listing of all LAK25 tracks that are accepting submissions. For any further technical details and submission information, please be sure to review all of the submission instructions that can be found on the LAK25 Submission Guidelines Page.

The focus of the research track is on advancing scholarly knowledge in the field of learning analytics through rigorous reports of learning analytics research studies. The primary audience includes academics, research scientists, doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers and other types of educational research staff working in different capacities on learning analytics research projects.

Starting with LAK21, LAK follows ACM’s 1-column format for submissions. Templates and formatting details are outlined in the LAK25 Submission Guidelines. Please note that published Proceedings will appear in ACM 2-column format.

Submission types for the research track are similar to other years: 

  • Full research papers (up to 16 pages in ACM 1-column format, including references) include a clearly explained substantial conceptual, technical or empirical contribution to learning analytics. The scope of the paper must be placed appropriately with respect to the current state of the field, and the contribution should be clearly described. This includes the conceptual or theoretical aspects at the foundation of the contribution, an explanation of the technical setting (tools used, how are they integrated into the contribution), analysis, and results. See the bulleted list of questions above for more detailed ideas on useful elements to include.
  • Short research papers (up to 10 pages in ACM 1-column format, including references) can address on-going work, which may include a briefly described theoretical underpinning, an initial proposal or rationale for a technical solution, and preliminary results, with consideration of stakeholder engagement issues. See the bulleted list of questions above for more detailed ideas on useful elements to include.

To submit please use the links found on the submission guidelines page. You will also find best practices and other documentation.

NOTE: If you are a newcomer to the LAK conference, it might be helpful to review the LAK24 ACM proceedings, openly available from the SoLAR website via ACM’s OpenTOC service. For Tips on writing LAK papers see here.

Should you have further questions regarding paper length or format, please contact us at lakconference@gmail.com.

Review Process

LAK25 will use a double-blind peer review process for all submissions except demos, pre-conference events, the doctoral consortium and the leadership academy (which each require elements that prevent blinding). To continue to strengthen the review process for both authors and reviewers LAK25 will have a rebuttal phase for full and short research papers in which authors will be given seven days to flag any inaccuracies, omissions, or errors in the reviews in a maximum of 500 words. Rebuttals are optional, and there is no requirement to respond. Authors should keep in mind that papers are being evaluated as submitted and thus, responses should not propose new results or restructuring of the presentation. Therefore, rebuttals should focus on answering specific questions raised by reviewers (if any) and providing clarifications and justifications to reviewers. Meta-reviewers, senior members of the research community, make final recommendations for paper acceptance or rejection with justification to the program committee chairs after the rebuttal phase is concluded. Acceptance decisions are ultimately taken by the program committee chairs based on all available information from the review process in combination with the constraints of the allowable space in the conference program.

Proceedings Publication

Accepted full and short research papers will be included in the LAK25 conference proceedings published and archived by ACM. Other types of submissions (posters, demos, workshops, tutorials, practitioner reports and doctoral consortium) will be included in the open access LAK companion proceedings, published on SoLAR’s website. Please note at least one of the authors of each accepted submission must register for the conference by the Early Bird deadline in order for the paper to be included in the ACM or LAK Companion Proceedings.

Important note to authors about the new ACM open access publishing model:

ACM has introduced a new open access publishing model for the International Conference Proceedings Series (ICPS). Authors based at institutions that are not yet part of the ACM Open program and do not qualify for a waiver will be required to pay an article processing charge (APC) to publish their ICPS article in the ACM Digital Library. To determine whether or not an APC will be applicable to your article, please follow the detailed guidance here: https://www.acm.org/publications/icps/author-guidance.

Further information may be found on the ACM website, as follows:

Full details of the new ICPS publishing model: https://www.acm.org/publications/icps/faq
Full details of the ACM Open program: https://www.acm.org/publications/openaccess

Please direct all questions about the new model to icps-info@acm.org.

 

Important Dates for LAK25

All LAK25 Deadlines are 11:59pm AOE.

Research Track

Full / Short Submission Deadline 23 Sept 2024
Rebuttal submission open 28 Oct 2024
Deadline for rebuttals 4 Nov 2024
Notification of Acceptance 22 Nov 2024
Deadline for camera ready 9 Dec 2024

Practitioner Reports

Practitioner Submission Deadline 7 Oct 2024
Notification of Acceptance 22 Nov 2024
Deadline for camera ready 20 Dec 2024

Poster / Demos

Poster/Demo Submission Deadline 4 Nov 2024
Notification of Acceptance 2 Dec 2024
Deadline for camera ready 20 Dec 2024

Doctoral Consortium & Leadership Academy

DC & Leadership Academy Submission Deadline 7 Oct 2024
Notification of Acceptance 22 Nov 2024
Deadline for camera ready 20 Dec 2024

Workshops / Tutorials

Workshop/Tutorial Submission Deadline  9 Sept 2024
Notification of Acceptance for workshop organization 30 Sept 2024
Submission Deadline for papers to individual workshops that issue calls** 4 Dec 2024
Notification of Acceptance for papers submitted to individual workshops 20 Dec 2024
Deadline for camera ready (Workshop organizer proposal docs) (individual workshop papers are not included in LAK proceedings) 8 Jan 2025

**Workshop Paper Submissions - this term refers to papers submitted to be presented within an accepted LAK pre-conference workshop. Many LAK workshops are mini-symposium style and issue calls for papers. Please visit the pre-conference schedule when available to view which workshops have CFP’s that you may submit to.

Conference and Registration Dates

Early-bird registration closes at 11:59pm AOE 20 Jan 2025
LAK25 conference, Dublin, Ireland 3-7 March 2025
Society for Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR)