The goal of this joint Special Issue is to provide an overview of most recent emerging and “fringe” learning technologies. Sample topics of interest include:

1. Virtual, augmented and mixed reality: game-based learning, edutainment, gamification, intrinsic integration of game mechanics, virtual worlds and communities for education and training, digital humans and avatars in education, work-based and augmented learning

2. Learning at Scale: service-oriented architectures for learning, MOOCs, interoperability of learning systems, standards for knowledge sharing, open educational resources, linked open data, ontologies and reasoning

3. Ubiquitous and wearable computing: educational applications of sensor-based learning, smart watches and activity trackers, body sensor networks, ego-vision devices and life-logging equipment, Internet of Things, smart environments, context-aware services and tools            

4. Social computing: educational data mining and filtering on social networks, social media for e-learning and e-assessment, social learning at scale, informal learning in social communities, peer review and assessment, trust and reputation in social communities

5. Big Data and data analytics: modeling of learners and learning processes, learning analytics, educational data mining, student profiling, behavioral and emotional analytics, learning data visualization, quantified self 

6. Intelligent systems: adaptive learning, recommender systems, tools for smart tutoring and training, pedagogical agents and assistants, course and material personalization

7. Learning in the making: 3D printers and computer-controlled fabrication devices, open micro-controller, sensor and actuator technologies, smart programming environments, robotics

8. Human-computer interaction: natural and multi-modal interfaces, conversational agents, affective computing, interactive tabletops and surfaces, innovative interaction devices and techniques