Internet of Things for Smart Education: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The Internet of Things has become a comprehensive concept used in different contexts (e.g., smart cities, security, and education). In particular, in education, a vast literature has used the Internet of Things to promote smart education. However, there is still no overview of how the Internet of Things has been used to promote smart education. We addressed this challenge by conducting a systematic literature review on the use of the Internet of Things to promote smart education. Through a systematic literature review, we answered the following research questions: i) Which smart objects collect data from the physical world? ii) What types of information are collected? And, iii) what are the goals of collecting this data? Our analysis reveals that i) the most common smart objects in educational environments include sensors, cameras, ID tags, and wearable devices; ii) these devices collect data in twelve main categories, which include everything from microclimatic information to details of the emotional and behavioral state of the actors involved; iii) the purpose of this collection is to provide a more effective and personalized educational experience to individual needs. Our findings play a crucial role in educational technologies, establishing a foundation for future research endeavors and providing valuable insights into the use of the Internet of Things to promote smart education.