The Status and Trend of Research towards Smart Learning Environments:A Content Analysis of International Publications in the Past Decade

Abstract

Smart Learning Environments(SLE) is the advanced stage of the development of the digital learning environments.Some practices and results showed that in a technology-rich learning environment,it will be easier to stimulate students' learning motivation,promote students' active learning behaviors,and achieve good learning performance through giving learners authentic learning experiences and adaptive learning support.This study searched journal articles by hey words including smart classroom,intelligent classroom,future classroom,technology enhanced classroom,technology-rich classroom,smart learning environment,intelligent learning environment,smart learning space,and intelligent learning space.Finally102 journal articles of SLE were selected from digital databases including ISI web of science,EBSCO host,ERIC,ProQuest,and Scopus for content analysis.The study analyzed the papers as two types of items.One was the basic information of each paper,including its title,publishment date,name of journal,author,the organization of the author.The other was content analysis of the paper,including its research method,research settings,research subjects,research issues,findings,conclusions,hardware devices,software,teaching and learning activities,learning interaction and feedback.Through the review of current researches,the study aimed to find the research trend and the driving force of researches for SLE in the future.The study found that SLE has been a worldwide research area with distinctive regional characteristics in its research issues.The architecture and function for SLE,the strategy and algorithms for adaptive learning support,and the pedagogical model and case study in SLE have been studied the most,and future classroom environment,the innovation of teaching and learning activities with support of information technologies,and the learning experience of teacher and student have become the hot issues.The conclusions of the publications show that the teaching effect,learning performance,user attitude,and learning experience in SLE are positive.The information technologies used in SLE are supporting learners to have a more clear perception of the learning context,to be better informed in interacting with students through multi-channels;and enabling the collection and modeling of learning data.These technologies make the learning environment more flexible and adaptable,as well as enable more effective individual and social learning processes.Almost all the teaching and learning activities like individualized learning,virtual learning,mobile learning,distance learning,game-based learning,and inquiry learning were studied in the selected articles.It indicated that SLE could be adaptive to all the teaching and learning activities.Besides traditional student-teacher,and student-student learning interaction,new interaction like student with authentic learning objects,student with virtual learning peers,as well as student-robot were emerged.It indicated the SLE extended learning interaction and provided new channels for feedback in learning.The study also found that since 2008,accompanying with the popularity application of portable and mobile handheld devices,wearable PCs,and sensor technologies in education,the learning activities in SLE tend to be diversified and innovation,the learning space tend to be open and virtual,the learning interaction tend to be multi-channeled and multi-leveled,the learning experience tend to be hands-on and rich,as well as the learning support for learners tend to be personalized and adaptive.The outcome of the content analysis indicates that these changes were driven by technology rich characteristics in SLE,and with the support of new technologies,the studies towards the future learning space design,the innovative pedagogical mode,and the smart learning support would become the trend of research in SLE in the future.