Human–AI Collaboration in Multimodal Learning Environments: Intelligent Technologies for Learning, Assessment and Feedback

Dear Colleagues,

Digital learning is entering a new phase in which multimodal environments are increasingly augmented by artificial intelligence, generative systems, adaptive technologies, intelligent agents and data-driven analytics. Building on advances in online and blended learning, multimodal interaction, and user-centred digital environments, emerging educational systems can now interpret diverse forms of learner input; generate adaptive responses; and participate dynamically in learning, assessment and feedback processes. These developments are transforming the relationship between humans and digital technologies, shifting attention from technology use towards more complex forms of human–AI interaction, collaboration and co-adaptation.

This Special Issue aims to explore how learners, educators and intelligent systems interact and collaborate within multimodal, online, blended and technology-mediated learning environments. Rather than examining AI tools as isolated technological interventions, the Special Issue focuses on the dynamic relationships among human agency, intelligent systems, multimodal interfaces, learning data and user experience. Particular attention is given to how AI-mediated environments integrate multiple modes of interaction to support learning, assessment, feedback, collaboration and decision-making.

The Special Issue seeks contributions that investigate the design, implementation and evaluation of human–AI collaboration from educational, technological and interaction-centred perspectives. Contributions may also investigate how multimodal learning analytics and educational data can inform adaptive support and feedback while preserving meaningful human judgement, human agency, learner autonomy and educator agency.

We encourage interdisciplinary perspectives integrating educational technology, human–computer interaction, multimodal interaction, user experience research, learning sciences, cognitive science, artificial intelligence and learning analytics. The Special Issue welcomes empirical research, theoretical and conceptual contributions, systematic and scoping reviews, design-based research, methodological studies, user studies and case studies.

By bringing together research across these fields, the Special Issue aims to advance understanding of how intelligent multimodal technologies can be designed and used to create meaningful, inclusive, transparent and human-centred learning experiences. It seeks to contribute to the development of digital learning environments in which AI augments rather than replaces human capabilities and in which interaction design, multimodal data and intelligent adaptation strengthen learning while preserving human agency and accountability.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Human–AI collaboration in formal and informal learning environments;
• Human–AI interaction and collaboration in online, blended and hybrid learning environments;
• AI-supported teaching and instructional design;
• AI-enhanced formative and authentic assessment;
• Feedback literacy and AI-assisted feedback;
• Human-centred AI in education;
• Learning analytics and educational data mining;
• Adaptive and personalised multimodal learning environments;
• Multimodal learning technologies and intelligent educational systems;
• Multimodal human–AI interfaces for learning and teaching;
• AI-supported teaching and intelligent instructional design;
• Collaborative learning supported by AI;
• Teacher professional development for AI-integrated education;
• Ethical, social, and policy implications of AI in education;
• Accessibility, inclusion and equity in AI-supported education.

Prof. Dr. Rita Panaoura
Prof. Dr. Nikleia Eteokleous
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• human–AI interaction
• multimodal learning
• intelligent systems
• learning analytics
• assessment
• adaptive and personalised learning