Last modified: May 2026
In brief
The Aalto OpenCS platform may support research on learning and teaching at Aalto University.
This page gives a general overview of the kinds of educational research that may be carried out using the Platform and how such research relates to teaching and platform development.
This page is not a privacy notice. It does not by itself describe all details of any specific research project. Information about personal data processing, legal bases, data subject rights, retention, and other data protection matters is provided in the Platform Privacy Notice and, for users covered by it, in Aalto University’s general Privacy Notice for Students.
Research findings are reported in a way that does not identify individual learners in publications or public presentations.
Why this page exists
This page explains, at a general level, how the online learning platform may support research on learning and teaching at Aalto University.
The Platform is used first and foremost to support teaching and learning. It is also used to develop courses, exercises, assessments, materials, feedback practices, and digital tools.
Some activities carried out using the Platform may also be conducted as scientific research on learning and teaching.
Teaching, development, and research
Not all development or analysis activities on the Platform are scientific research.
Many changes to the Platform or to course materials are made as part of ordinary teaching and service development. For example, teachers and developers may improve exercises, revise materials, improve feedback, or refine digital tools in order to support current and future courses.
Some activities may also be carried out as scientific research on learning and teaching. This means systematic work whose purpose is to produce broader knowledge about learning, teaching, educational technology, or related practices in higher education.
Why research is carried out
Aalto University combines teaching and research in its activities. Research on learning and teaching helps the university understand how students and other learners learn, how digital environments support learning, and how teaching practices and learning tools can be improved.
Research carried out using the Platform may support:
- improvement of teaching methods and course design;
- development of digital learning tools and materials;
- understanding of how learners engage with exercises, materials, and feedback;
- evaluation of support tools such as analytics, recommendations, or AI-assisted feedback;
- broader development of teaching and learning in higher education.
What kinds of topics may be studied
Research supported by the Platform may address topics such as:
- how learners use learning materials and exercises;
- how learners respond to feedback, hints, or other learning support;
- how misconceptions, errors, or challenging topics appear in learner work;
- how digital tools and course designs support engagement and progress;
- how learners engage with the Platform, including patterns of activity, inactivity, and return to learning tasks;
- how teachers can be supported in assessment, feedback, and course management;
- how analytics, recommendations, or AI-assisted tools function in teaching and learning;
- how fairness, accessibility, and inclusion can be supported in digital learning environments.
The specific focus of any research project depends on the project in question. Not all of these topics are studied in every course or at all times.
What kinds of data may be used in research
Where appropriate, research may draw on data generated in the Platform, such as:
- exercise and assignment submissions;
- process data relating to how tasks, solutions, or submissions were created, where such data is collected by the Platform;
- assessment and feedback data;
- progress and activity data;
- interaction and usage data, including activity, inactivity, and return-to-activity signals;
- interaction with materials and learning tools;
- aggregated patterns of Platform use.
Some research may use existing course and Platform data retrospectively. Where research is carried out, it is governed separately as research and may be accompanied by project-specific information. Where Platform data is used in a specific research project, users may also be provided with a separate research privacy notice or other participant information describing that project in more detail.
The exact data used depends on the research project and the approvals, safeguards, and documentation applicable to that project.
How research differs from ordinary platform development
The Platform is continuously improved as part of ordinary teaching and service development. This may include, for example, improving usability, accessibility, materials, feedback, or tools used by teachers and learners.
Such work is not automatically scientific research.
An activity is typically treated as research when it is carried out systematically in order to answer a broader question about learning, teaching, or educational technology, or when it is undertaken as part of a research project, thesis, publication, or other academic output.
Where an activity is carried out as scientific research, it is governed separately as research.
Ethics and responsible research
Research on learning and teaching is conducted in accordance with applicable university procedures, ethical principles, and data protection requirements.
Where required, research is handled through Aalto University’s research governance processes. Depending on the project, this may include project-specific participant information, privacy documentation, permissions, or ethical review.
Research findings are reported in a way that does not identify individual learners in publications or public presentations.
Why an opt-out mechanism may be used
For some research projects using course and Platform data, an opt-out mechanism may be used rather than an opt-in model of informed consent. Participants are informed about the research, the relevant research privacy notice or other participant information, and their possibility to opt out of the research use of their data. Where an opt-out mechanism is used, it is explained in the relevant course and on the Platform.
The reason for using opt-out rather than opt-in is both methodological and ethical. In this kind of educational research, an opt-in mechanism would likely produce a systematically biased sample, because students who are more active, engaged, confident, or attentive to course communications are also more likely to provide consent. As a result, the research sample would likely differ in important ways from the full learner population. Publishing conclusions from such a selective subset as if they described the whole learner population could therefore be misleading. The opt-out approach helps support more valid and ethically robust conclusions while still respecting participant autonomy through clear information and a genuine possibility to refuse participation in the research use of data.
Opting out affects only the research use of data. It does not affect teaching, grading, access to course materials, feedback, support, or a participant’s status in the course.
How to opt out
You may opt out of the research use of your data in research projects that use an opt-out mechanism. Information about the opt-out mechanism is provided in each included course and on the Platform. If you choose to opt out, this affects only the use of your data for research. It does not affect teaching, grading, support, or your participation in the course.
To opt out on the Platform, open your user profile and go to the Data and Research tab. There you can turn off the educational research use of your platform data. You can also contact the responsible teacher of your course through the ordinary course contact channels to ask about opting out.
Further information
For information about personal data processing in the Platform, please see the Platform Privacy Notice.
For users covered by Aalto University’s general Privacy Notice for Students, more information is also available there.
Where a specific research project requires additional information, this will be provided separately for that project.