Unpacking Learning in the Age of AI: Bridging AI, Complexity, and Precision Education

Abstract

This chapter serves as an introduction to the book Advanced Learning Analytics Methods: AI, Precision, and Complexity. In a previous volume—Learning Analytics Methods and Tutorials: A Practical Guide Using R—, we introduced the foundational methods of learning analytics, required to bring researchers up to speed with the state of the art. Since then, recent advances in artificial intelligence and complexity science have permeated the field of learning analytics and education research as a whole. As a response, this new book aims to provide researchers with the resources needed to address the methodological expansion required to meet the demands of these advancements. In this new book, we introduce cutting-edge methods at the intersection of learning analytics, artificial intelligence and complexity science, with the hope that this initiative will drive significant advancements in the field. © 2026 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s).