Last modified: September 2025

Research at a glance

At Aalto University, teaching and research go hand in hand. The platform is also used for educational research that studies how students learn, how materials are used, and how teaching can be improved. This includes analyzing assignments, submissions, feedback, navigation patterns, video use, peer interaction, and other engagement with course components.

The goal of this research is to improve teaching quality and student learning. Studies may explore themes such as engagement, misconceptions, collaboration, fairness and inclusivity, sustainable study practices, and the role of AI in learning. All research is conducted responsibly under Aalto University’s research ethics guidelines, and individual students cannot be identified in publications.

See below for examples of ongoing research themes.

Ongoing educational research

This outline provides a high-level overview of some of the ongoing educational studies conducted on the platform to improve teaching and learning at Aalto University. For additional information about the research, contact Arto Hellas (firstname.lastname@aalto.fi).

At Aalto University and in Finnish universities, teaching and research are strongly linked — teachers are researchers and researchers are teachers. Research is continuously integrated into teaching to develop better courses, materials, and methods.

The Finnish Universities Act (558/2009) states: The mission of the universities is to promote independent academic research as well as academic and artistic education, to provide research-based higher education and to educate students to serve their country and humanity at large. In carrying out their mission, the universities shall promote lifelong learning, interact with the surrounding society and promote the social impact of university research findings and artistic activities.

In line with this, the platform supports ongoing educational research in which teachers and researchers study how learning happens, how students interact with materials, and how teaching can be improved. This includes the analysis of data generated through assignments, quizzes, submissions, feedback, navigation patterns, video interactions, peer assessments, and other forms of engagement with the platform’s components. The overall aim is to understand learning processes and to improve both teaching practices and student learning outcomes.

All research conducted on the platform follows the guidelines of Aalto University’s Research Ethics Committee and The Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK.

Examples of ongoing research themes

• Understanding the use of online learning materials and tools We study how students use different materials (text, video, interactive components) and tools on the platform, and how these interactions relate to course outcomes. This includes analyzing which features support learning best and how materials should be developed further.

• Supporting learning and increasing engagement We investigate how design choices — such as navigation, feedback, personalization, or prompts — influence student engagement and learning. Research may also include studying how attention is distributed, what distracts learners, and what encourages persistence.

• Addressing challenging topics and misconceptions We analyze errors, misconceptions, and difficult concepts in student work to better understand learning challenges. We also explore adaptive support, including intelligent tutoring systems and AI-assisted feedback, to provide learners with timely guidance.

• Developing learner models and personalized support Research includes building models of student knowledge and behavior to study how well learners have understood specific concepts. These models may inform experiments with personalized assignments, adaptive feedback, or tailored learning paths.

• Collaborative learning and peer interaction We study how learners interact with each other through peer review, discussion tools, and group assignments. This includes how feedback is given and received, what makes peer interaction effective, and how collaboration influences outcomes.

• Fairness and inclusivity in digital learning We investigate how platform design and feedback systems can support students from diverse backgrounds. This includes ensuring accessibility, analyzing barriers to learning, and testing whether personalization or AI feedback works equally well for all learners.

• Sustainable learning practices We analyze study behaviors, pacing, and workload to identify practices that support long-term retention and reduce unnecessary stress. This includes examining how repetition, breaks, and balanced task design influence performance and well-being.

• Human—AI collaboration in teaching We explore how AI-assisted tools and human teachers can complement each other. Research includes when learners benefit most from AI-generated feedback, when human support is crucial, and how the two can be combined for better learning experiences.

• Ethical and responsible use of learning analytics We study how learners perceive data collection, feedback, and AI-assisted tools. This research focuses on trust, transparency, and ethical boundaries in data-driven education.

A note on publishing study results

To contribute to the scientific community and improve education more broadly, results from studies may be published in scientific venues or other media. All publications are prepared so that individual course participants cannot be identified.