publications | Sami P. Heikkinen

2026

Why do recycling interventions fail? A systematic literature review

Sami Heikkinen, Kaisu Isomäki, and Taina Salakka-Kontunen

Sustain. Environ., Jun 2026

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Global municipal solid waste generation is increasing from 2.1 billion tons in 2023 to 3.8 billion tons by 2050, making effective household interventions critical for sustainable waste management. However, household recycling rates remain disappointingly low despite decades of intervention efforts. This systematic literature review shifts focus from individual recycling behavior to recycling interventions themselves, examining why interventions fail rather than why people do not recycle. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched Scopus and Web of Science, ultimately including 64 studies from 31 countries representing over 90,000 participants. We analyzed intervention types, effectiveness measurement approaches, and barriers using the macro-meso-micro framework. Results reveal a critical disconnect between intervention design and effectiveness: 71% of interventions rely on communication campaigns despite persistent evidence of the knowledge-behavior gap, while only 12.5% achieved high effectiveness (>50% improvement). Concerning patterns emerged, with 19% of studies showing declining effects over time, indicating fundamental sustainability challenges. Barrier analysis identified 150 constraints, with meso and micro-level barriers dominating. Geographic concentration in developed economies raises critical questions about applicability to developing regions where waste management challenges are most acute. These findings demonstrate that effective recycling interventions require multi-level approaches simultaneously addressing infrastructure, implementation quality and behavioral dimensions.
The differences in students’ perceptions and the traceable usage of learning resources

Sami Heikkinen and Pauliina Baltzar

Eleed, Mar 2026

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As online teaching and learning gain more traction, accessibility is becoming increasingly crucial. Learning analytics can be effectively employed to evaluate the accessibility of online courses and track how learners utilize the available resources. With its practical implications, this research delves into how learners use various learning resources and compares their preferences with trace data to assess whether students are using their preferred materials. The study also examines potential differences in learning resource usage among students from different disciplines and age groups. The survey data (n=123) is gathered from two Finnish higher education institutions on two courses. Ultimately, the findings underscore the need for a nuanced approach, as students do not always adhere to their preferences, and there are some variances in learning resource usage among certain disciplines and age groups. Future research on the connection between accessibility, learners’ preferences, and learning analytics should expand the data, including the learning outcomes to variables, and examine the longitudinal nature of accessible learning resource usage.
Self-regulated learning interventions: Seeding effects and behavioral side-effects

Sami Heikkinen, Henrik Bellhäuser, Esther Stappen, and 1 more author

SSRN (Preprint), Mar 2026
Students’ Exploration of Elective Courses in Flexible Higher Education: Findings from a Digital Simulation Task

Suzan Van Brussel, Johan Smarius, Sami Heikkinen, and 1 more author

In 39^th Bled eConference: Co-Creating Human-Centred and Responsible Digital Futures; Conference Proceedings, Jun 2026

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Flexible higher education requires students to compose individual learning routes by selecting elective courses. Such choice-making processes can induce stress and procrastination and thus demand effective guidance. This exploratory mixed-method study examines the students’ use of a digital tool to support them during exploration-in-breadth, the initial phase of educational choice-making processes. Bachelor students (n = 49) used a prototype that enabled browsing, filtering, and shortlisting electives. Trace log data and sequence analysis captured interaction patterns, including time-on-task, filter use, and selection behaviour, while a survey assessed motives, usability, and support needs. Results show that students display diverse navigation behaviour and that such a tool can facilitate structured exploration, particularly through filtering before shortlisting favourites. Students valued the tool for orientation but indicated the need for personal guidance when making final decisions. These findings support the potential for integrating asynchronous digital exploration with synchronous mentoring (blended guidance). Design implications include adaptive technological support, integration of mentor dialogue, and explicit development of students’ choice-making competencies.
Unpacking learning in the age of AI: Bridging AI, complexity, and Precision education

Sonsoles López-Pernas, Sami Heikkinen, Ahmed Tlili, and 2 more authors

In Advanced Learning Analytics Methods, 2026

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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.
Analysis of customer journey video data using eye-tracking and multimodal AI

Sami Heikkinen, Jaani Väisänen, Hannu Kaikonen, and 2 more authors

In Innovative Perspectives on Computational Intelligence and Data Science. InnoComp 2025, Jan 2026

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This study introduces a novel methodological approach for analyzing customer journey data using eye-tracking technology and multimodal AI. Customer journey research faces significant limitations due to reliance on resource-intensive qualitative methods that are difficult to scale. We address this gap by employing vision language models (VLMs) to automate the interpretation of eye-tracking data, eliminating the manual coding bottleneck while enabling analysis of larger and more diverse datasets. Our research evaluates five locally-deployable VLMs to determine the optimal balance between semantic accuracy and computational efficiency. Using data collected with Tobii eye-tracking glasses, we developed an analytical pipeline that synchronizes gaze location data with verbal think-aloud protocols to create a comprehensive multimodal dataset. Results demonstrate that Gemma3 (4B parameters) achieved 100% semantic accuracy on our test set while maintaining reasonable processing efficiency (43.26 s per image). When validated against human coding across the complete dataset, the model achieved a 74.2% recall rate. The integration of eye-tracking and verbal data revealed distinctive attention patterns including “navigational uncertainty,” “confirmatory scanning,” and “socially-mediated attention” throughout the customer journey. Our approach provides objective behavioral evidence of visual attention that complements traditional self-reported measures, enabling more comprehensive touchpoint analysis while aligning with event-driven perspectives from process mining research. This methodology offers promising applications for service design by identifying discrepancies between reported and actual customer attention patterns and providing a foundation for developing automated behavioral indicators to detect moments of customer confusion, decision-making, or confirmation throughout service journeys.

2025

The Complex Dynamics of Self-Regulation: Analyzing State Transitions in Online Learning Environments

Sami Heikkinen and Mohammed Saqr

2025
Validating the contemporary business soft skills instrument

Sami Heikkinen and Heidi Myyryläinen

Bus. Prof. Commun. Q., Feb 2025

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Recent workplace transformations have heightened the importance of soft skills, yet validated instruments for measuring these competencies remain limited. This study validates a comprehensive instrument measuring contemporary business soft skills using data from 294 participants representing 38 nationalities. Factor analysis revealed a robust 10-factor structure explaining 62.4% of the variance, with reliability coefficients ranging from .775 to .877. Results indicate the integration of traditionally distinct competencies and the emergence of new factorial combinations. The validated instrument provides a reliable tool for assessing soft skills in modern workplace contexts, particularly valuable for virtual and cross-cultural environments. The findings support more precise soft skills communication between employees, employers, educators, and students.
A longitudinal study of interplay between student engagement and self-regulation

Sami Heikkinen, Mohammed Saqr, Jonna Malmberg, and 1 more author

Int. J. Educ. Technol. High. Educ., Apr 2025

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Abstract This study investigates the dynamic interplay between student engagement and self-regulated learning (SRL) in an online project management course. Using learning management system trace data combined with longitudinal self-reported SRL measures, we analysed data from 165 first-year business students through multi-channel sequencing and clustering algorithms. Results revealed three distinct patterns of learning behaviour with significant implications for intervention design: Low-regulating improvers (4.85%) who showed potential for growth with targeted support, Disengaged low regulators (44.85%) requiring comprehensive intervention in both engagement and self-regulation skills, and High-regulating improvers (50.30%) who demonstrated successful adaptation to online learning. Our innovative approach of analysing student progress individually rather than using fixed time points enabled more precise identification of support needs in asynchronous learning settings. The findings demonstrate that both engagement and self-regulation skills can develop over time with appropriate support, suggesting opportunities for adaptive intervention throughout the course. This research provides actionable insights for developing targeted support strategies, including early warning systems for at-risk students and personalized scaffolding approaches based on students’ behavioural patterns. These findings advance learning analytics by providing a framework for real-time identification of student needs and evidence-based intervention design in online education. The results particularly emphasize the importance of continuous, pattern-based support for developing self-regulation skills in online environments.
Segmentation of cruise experience preferences: A hierarchical cluster analysis of budget- constrained choices

Sami Heikkinen and Markus Ahola

In 7 Experiences Summit 2025, 2025

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This study investigates cruise experience preferences through a hierarchical cluster analysis of budget-constrained choices. The research identifies three distinct passenger segments by surveying potential cruise passengers: Experience-Focused Luxury Cruisers, Entertainment and Relaxation Seekers, and Active Explorer Cruisers. Each segment demonstrates unique spending patterns and prioritization of cruise experience dimensions, such as cabin preferences, service expectations, food and beverage options, relaxation activities, and entertainment. The findings reveal that Experience-Focused Luxury Cruisers prioritize premium drinks and luxury experiences; Entertainment and relaxation Seekers focus on onboard entertainment and relaxation, while Active Explorer Cruisers emphasize premium service, high-quality food, and sightseeing opportunities. This segmentation provides valuable insights for cruise operators to optimize service offerings and marketing strategies, effectively enhancing customer satisfaction and targeting specific passenger segments. The study highlights the importance of understanding passenger preferences under budget constraints to inform strategic service design in the cruise industry.
Does the order of the assignments affect the dropout rate?

Sami Heikkinen

In 2025 International Conference on Education Technology and Computers (ICETC), Sep 2025

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Online learning requires different types of learning support. Learning analytics (LA) studies have focused on support for students. In contrast, few studies use LA to identify learning design elements that could hinder the learning process, i.e., learning bottlenecks. This study aims to find more evidence for this purpose. The quasi-experimental research (n = 228) compares two consecutive course implementations that differ in the assignment order. The assignment order can improve the dropout rate and thus help learning processes. Although the intervention’s effect size is small, it is worth performing since it requires low effort.
Behind Schedule - Capturing the Effects and Side Effects of an Intervention on the Learning Process

Sami Heikkinen, Henrik Bellhäuser, Esther Stappen, and 1 more author

In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Smart Learning Environments (ICSLE 2025), 2025
Using Learning Analytics to Capture Self-Regulation and the Complex Temporal Dynamics of its Correlates

Sami Heikkinen

University of Eastern Finland, Jun 2025

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This thesis investigates the complex interplay between self-regulated learning, student engagement, and learning analytics in online educational environments. Through three related studies, the research examines how learning analytics can support self-regulated learning, how students’ self- efficacy beliefs influence their learning behaviors, and how engagement patterns evolve alongside self-regulation throughout online courses. The research employs a mixed-methods approach that combines systematic literature review, sequence analysis, process mining, and multi- channel clustering techniques. Data were collected from multiple sources including learning management system trace data, self-reported surveys, and longitudinal self-regulated learning measures across various cohorts of business students. Key findings reveal that while learning analytics interventions show promise in supporting self-regulated learning, only 46% demonstrated positive impacts on learning outcomes. The research identified distinct patterns in how students with different self-efficacy beliefs approach online learning, with high self-efficacy students demonstrating more varied and 8 adaptive learning tactics. Analysis of engagement patterns revealed three distinct clusters of students: low-regulating improvers (4.85%), disengaged low regulators (44.85%), and high-regulating improvers (50.30%), each showing different trajectories in their self-regulation development. The thesis makes several theoretical and practical contributions to the field of educational technology. It elucidates how self-regulation and engagement co-evolve in online learning environments, provides evidence- based recommendations for designing learning analytics interventions, and demonstrates the value of combining multiple analytical approaches to understand student learning processes. These findings have important implications for the design of online courses and learning support systems, particularly their adaptation to support students with varying levels of self- regulation skills and engagement patterns.
Contemporary Business Soft Skills Instrument

Heidi Myyryläinen and Sami Heikkinen

Feb 2025

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This is the most recent version of the Contemporary Business Soft Skills Instrument which was validated in the article published in Business and Professional Communication Quarterly https://doi.org/10.1177/23294906251317717. When using instrument in your study, use reference: Heikkinen, S., & Myyryläinen, H. (2025). Validating the Contemporary Business Soft Skills Instrument. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/23294906251317717

2024

The Temporal Moments of The Residential Green Environment Visits Associated with the Weather Observations

Sami Heikkinen and Ilkka Väänänen

In Smart Cities in Smart Regions Conference Proceedings, Dec 2024

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In 17 EU Member States, the park is the most commonly cited setting for engaging in sports or other physical activities. However, there is limited data available on the use of residential green areas for recreational purposes and how this usage varies based on different weather conditions. Evidence of the weather on outdoor activities in residential green spaces is scarce. This study aims to explore the relationship between weather observations and visits to the nature reserve. Data includes two open data sets: a) the number of visits to the Lapakisto Nature Reserve in Lahti and b) the weather observations. The first data set was published by the City of Lahti, and the Finnish Meteorological Institute published the second. These two data sets are combined to investigate the association between the weather and the number of visits to the Lapakisto Nature Reserve. The results indicate how the number of visits associated with weather observations fluctuates monthly and between weekdays and weekends. The variation in visitor numbers in different weather observations means different needs for management and service actions produced by the public producers. Consequently, monitoring the number of park visitors, the use of the parks, and changes in the prevailing environmental and ecological values is important to safeguard the supreme quality of nature experiences available in smart and sustainable cities. In conclusion, weather diversity has both positive and negative effects on the use of recreational areas in cities.
The interplay of engagement and learning regulation in online learning

Sami Heikkinen, Mohammed Saqr, Jonna Malmberg, and 1 more author

In Proceedings of TEEM 2024 The Twelfth International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality, Oct 2024

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This study is of significant importance as it examines the interplay between student engagement and self-regulated learning (SRL) in online learning environments. We analyse longitudinal data comprising student survey responses and log files from a learning management system (LMS). The participants were 165 students enrolled in a Finnish higher education institution course. Data collection included trace data from the LMS, detailing each student’s actions with timestamps, and survey data collected at multiple points throughout the course. Students were classified based on their engagement patterns and self-regulation abilities. We utilised clustering methods to group students into engagement and SRL clusters. The findings, which are of great relevance, indicate a positive association between student engagement and SRL, suggesting that enhancing SRL skills can lead to improved student engagement and academic performance. The study, therefore, underscores the need to develop effective learning strategies and interventions that support students’ self-regulation and engagement in online courses.
Sequence analysis and process mining perspectives to goal setting: What distinguishes business students with high and low self-efficacy beliefs?

Sami Heikkinen, Tudor Cristea, Mohammed Saqr, and 5 more authors

Smart Learn. Environ., Sep 2024

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This study investigates the relationship between students’ self-efficacy beliefs, goal-setting, and learning tactics in an online business course. Using sequence analysis and process mining techniques, we analyzed log data from 209 students to identify distinct learning tactics and their association with self-efficacy beliefs, inferred from initial goal-setting and final grades. Four learning tactics were identified, with significant differences observed between students with high and low self-efficacy beliefs. High self-efficacy students demonstrated more varied and adaptive tactics, including greater use of quizzes and project-focused activities. In contrast, low self-efficacy students and those who didn’t set goals showed less engagement and fewer monitoring activities. The project-focused tactic had the strongest correlation with final grades and goal achievement. Goal-setting at the course’s start was linked to more effective learning behaviors and better outcomes. The study reveals how students’ online learning behavior changes based on initial goal-setting and subsequent reflection. These findings contribute to research on self-regulated learning in online environments and offer practical implications for designing online courses and learning analytics interventions. Understanding these differences enables the development of targeted interventions to improve learning tactics and self-efficacy beliefs among students, ultimately enhancing their ability to achieve learning goals in online educational settings.

2023

Supporting self-regulated learning with learning analytics interventions – a systematic literature review

Sami Heikkinen, Mohammed Saqr, Jonna Malmberg, and 1 more author

Educ. Inf. Technol., Mar 2023

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During the past years scholars have shown an increasing interest in supporting students’ self-regulated learning (SRL). Learning analytics (LA) can be applied in various ways to identify a learner’s current state of self-regulation and support SRL processes. It is important to examine how LA has been used to identify the need for support in different phases of SRL cycle, which channels are used to mediate the intervention and how efficient and impactful the intervention is. This will help the learners to achieve the anticipated learning outcomes. The systematic literature review followed PRISMA 2020 statement to examine studies that applied LA interventions to enhance SRL. The search terms used for this research identified 753 papers in May 2021. Of these, 56 studies included the elements of LA, SRL, and intervention. The reviewed studies contained various LA interventions aimed at supporting SRL, but only 46% of them revealed a positive impact of an intervention on learning. Furthermore, only four studies reported positive effects for SRL and covered all three SRL phases (planning, performance, and reflection). Based on the findings of this literature review, the key recommendation is for all phases of SRL to be considered when planning interventions to support learning. In addition, more comparative research on this topic is needed to identify the most effective interventions and to provide further evidence on the effectiveness of interventions supporting SRL.

2021

An Innovative Model for University-industry Collaboration in Course Design and Delivery

Sami Heikkinen

In Teaching and Learning Innovations in Higher Education, Feb 2021

2017

Integration method to create innovative business ideas and to learn multicultural team working skills

Tarja (Terry) Ahonen and Sami Heikkinen

In Innovative Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 2017
Introduction to Authentic Learning : Environments, Experiences and Field Work

Susan Benvenuti, Sami Heikkinen, Tiffany Ip, and 1 more author

In Innovative teaching and learning in higher education, 2017

2015

Multi-Disciplinary University-Industry Interaction : Case Mikkeli

Sami Heikkinen

In Practitioners Proceedings 2015 : University-Industry Interaction Conference : Challenges and Solutions for Fostering Entrepreneurial Universities and Collaborative Innovation, 2015

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There is a challenge in university-industry interaction for finding ways for effective multi-disciplinary cooperation. Multi-disciplinary aspect is vital for companies’ future innovation. This is also a challenge for universities once they are finding ways to foster education towards multi-disciplinary processes. The cooperation between multiple disciplines remains an uncharted terrain in the context of universityindustry cooperation. This paper presents examples of two university-industry cooperation assignments conducted multi-disciplinarily. The article is introducing the views of teachers, students and company representatives involved in the assignments. The objective of this research is to find out how facilitation should be conducted for effective implementation.The commissioning companies of the study are Finnish industrial companies searching for new business opportunities. The assignments are focusing on finding answers for specified problems the companies are facing. The students participating in these assignments are representing multiple degree programmes (business management, environmental engineering, and material technology). Students bring their own discipline related competences to the projects. This combination enables the new solutions for the problem that companies may use to develop their business.

2014

Lego serious play as an innovative method of learning

Sami Heikkinen and Mikhail Nemilentsev

In Innovative teaching and learning methods in multicultural environments, 2014
Lego Serious Play-metodi uudessa oppimisympäristössä

Sami Heikkinen and Mikhail Nemilentsev

In Innovatiivisuus ohjauksessa ja kansainvälisissä oppimisympäristöissä, 2014