Advances in the field of multimodal learning analytics (MMLA) research is often accomplished by actively exploring new technologies and techniques related to the collection and analysis of data. Exploration of ethical principles and procedures for governing the use of new technologies and techniques, however, is not as readily pursued. As collected data grow in complexity and invasiveness, potentially, a growing need is arising to scrutinize ethical aspects of MMLA research. In our study, we introduce an informed consent comprehension test for educational technology research and assess the effects of enhancing MMLA consent forms on comprehension of informed consent and on rates of enrollment in a MMLA study. One form is written from a researcher perspective and the other from a participant perspective. Results of the study involving first‐year undergraduate students suggest that the overall level of comprehension did not differ between conditions. Yet, the participant‐oriented consent form resulted in significantly lower rates of enrollment. Implications for MMLA researchers are discussed.

The current knowledge of the effects of the physical environment on learners’ behaviour in collaborative problem‐solving tasks is underexplored. This paper aims to critically examine the potential of multimodal learning analytics, using new data sets, in studying how the shapes of shared tables affect the learners’ behaviour when collaborating in terms of patterns of participation and indicators related to physical social interactions. The research presented in this paper investigates this question considering the potential interplay with contextual aspects (level of education) and learning design decisions (group size). Three dependent variables (distance between students, range of movement and level of participation) are tested using quantitative and qualitative analyses of data collected using a motion capture system and video recordings. Results show that the use of round tables (vs rectangular tables) leads to higher levels of on‐task participation in the case of elementary school students. For university students, different table shapes seem to have a limited impact on their levels of participation in collaborative problem solving. The analysis shows significant differences regarding the relationship between group size and the distance between students, but there is no substantial evidence that group size affects the level of participation. The findings support previous research highlighting the importance of studying the role of the physical environment as an element of learning design and the potential of multimodal learning analytics in approaching these studies.

The orchestration of collaborative learning activities in technology-enhanced classrooms has become a non-trivial endeavour for educators. Depending on the behaviours and needs of students that emerge in real educational situations, educators may need to orchestrate activity adaptations on the fly. These adaptations may range from the provision of additional caffolding b he ed ca o (e.g. he ed ca o pa icipa ion in a group discussion) to a change in the planned pedagogical scenario (e.g. the duration). This study aims to contribute to the orchestration of technology-mediated collaborative learning sessions in a classroom context. We present the design, implementation, and evaluation of a teacher-facing dashboard that supports teachers in orchestrating scripted collaboration. Evaluation studies were conducted in 16 classroom sessions. The findings indicate that teachers found the information on the dashboard to be actionable and help facilitate just in time support to student groups.

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