/Apologies for unintended cross-mailing/ ========================================================= *11th International Conference on Smart Learning Ecosystems and Regional Development** * *2026: AI enhanced learning as bridge toward future jobs and a better society* *June 22-23, 2026* /*on-line format*/ www.slerd.org <https://www.slerd.org/> Contacts: 1st: stavros [dot] nikou [at] strath [dot] ac [dot] uk/(Stavros Nikou - conference chair)/ 2nd: aslerd [dot] org [at] gmail [dot] com ========================================================= Deadline for paper submission: *March 1, 2026 *call for papers <https://www.slerd.org/call-for-papers/> *========================================================= *SLERD 2025 will host also the 7th edition of the *International* *Student Design Contest* -> see call for proposal and demo <https://www.slerd.org/contest/> **========================================================= * * *SLERD 2026* is organized by /University of Strathclyde Glasgow /in collaboration with /ASLERD/ <http://www.aslerd.org>/./ * * /*Short Intro*/ Building on a decade of dialogue and innovation, SLERD 2026 invites academics, practitioners and policy makers to stimulate a critical debate and explore how artificial intelligence can practically and ethically augment learning ecosystems, linking classrooms, workplaces, and communities to foster human flourishing. With the theme*“AI-enhanced learning as a bridge toward future jobs and a better society”*, the conference emphasizes the overarching nature of AI-supported smart learning ecosystems focusing on aligning technological advances with inclusive pedagogies, ethical AI use, professional upskilling, equitable access, regional development, and responsible governance. As AI reshapes education, skills, professions, and civic life, SLERD 2026 welcomes students, academics, practitioners, and policymakers, to share evidence, tools, and case studies that demonstrate real impact; from AI-supported teaching and assessment to co-creation with learners, educators and stakeholders; from micro-credentials and reskilling pathways to lifelong learning ecosystem; from black-box AI to ethical and responsible data practices and algorithmic transparency; from limited access AI environments to community spaces that foster digital inclusion. The 11th edition is both a milestone of our evolving community and a call to action. We aim to surface actionable models and design principles that help institutions, regions, and industries create adaptive, trustworthy, and human-cantered learning ecosystems that prepare people not just for the next job, but for meaningful participation in society. *Conference lenses* The themes for this year’s conference emphasize the integrative nature of smart learning ecosystems: places for smart education, people-centred design, and supportive technologies, with a focus on: * *Human-centred AI in education:*co-design, pedagogy, innovative AI-supported teaching, assessment integrity, explainability, and ethics. * *Skills, employability & inclusion:*lifelong learning, reskilling/upskilling, micro-credentials, work-based learning, and pathways that reduce inequalities. * *Ecosystems, data & governance:*infrastructure, interoperability, trust, safety, privacy, sustainability, and regional innovation strategies. *General Topics of interests* General topics of interests can be grouped under three big themes:/places for smart education/,/people in place centered design for smart education/,/supportive learning technologies and tools for smart education/ /*Places for smart education*/ * future of institutional learning * interplay between formal and informal learning * new educational models and settings * continuity-discontinuity of time, technology, place/space, processes in learning * role of, and case studies of, games and gamification in smart education * dual education and other alternation scheme approaches * monitoring and benchmarking of smartness (individual, institution, city, region) /*People in place centered design for smart education*/ * general frameworks and methodological advances * design, data and other relevant literacies * teachers’ and students’ continuous training (literacies, skills and competencies) * initial teacher education * smart citizens’ literacies, skill and competences * communities and co-design in smart learning * sharing & participatory practices * open access to any resource and disparity * educational design for all * cultural influences * ethical aspects in smart learning /*Supportive technologies and tools for smart education*/ * AI for smart learning ecosystems: tools, human centered AI (HCAI). and explainable AI (XAI) * human-computer interaction (HCI), user experience (UX), design for the experience, design processes and thinking * knowledge graphs and applications * text/opinion mining and sentiment analysis * real/virtual communities and social network analysis * interoperability and application of open/smart data and services * safety & security in education * IoT, ubiquitous and wearable technologies * adaptability to educational contexts and citizens * VR, AR, MR XR and metaverse in education ========================================================= /*Important dates:*/ --------------------------------------------------------- • Deadline for papers submission: *March**1, 2026* • Notification to the authors: May 10, 2026 • Camera ready paper: June 10, 2026 • Conference: June 22-33, 2026 ========================================== /*Submissions:*/ --------------------------------------------------------- Accepted papers also presented at the conference will be published in a special issue of theIxD&A Journal <https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-000>(https://ixdea.org/; ISSN 1826-9745, e-ISSN 2283-2998) indexed by SCOPUS and Emerging Sources of Web of Science (Citescore: 2.5). Papers should be written according to the Instruction for Authors available athttps://ixdea.org/authors-guidelines/. <https://ixdea.org/authors-guidelines/> Papers submission is handled through OJS –https://ojs.ixdea.org/index.php/ixdea/about/submissions. (select section:*SI: SLERD 2026 – long paper*or *SI: SLERD 2026 – short paper*). SLERD and IxD&A follow a double-blind reviewing process, thus papers need to be fully anonymized. ========================================================= Information about SLERD 2026 will continuously updated on the ASLERD Linkedin page -> link <https://www.linkedin.com/groups/5103530/> Facebook page -> link <https://www.facebook.com/people/Aslerd-Association-for-Smart-learning-Ecosystems-and-Regional-Development/100063631144119/> ========================================================= See ASLERD website <http://www.aslerd.org> for Request of membership, membership fees and legal =========================================================