HELMeTO 2026 invites researchers, educators, practitioners, instructional designers, and policy makers to explore the future of digital higher education, where digital technologies, Artificial Intelligence, and innovative pedagogies are reshaping how universities teach, learn, and evolve in a global context.
The conference aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and promote research and innovation related to digital education, online learning, AI-enhanced teaching and learning, educational technologies, learning analytics, and emerging pedagogical models for higher education.

Submission Guidelines

Abstract submission

All submissions must be made electronically through the online submission system on EasyChair https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=helmeto2026

Contributions must be in English and should be submitted in the form of an abstract with references (max 2 pages + 1 page of references). During the submission process, the preferred track (general or special) must be selected.

At least three members of the program committee will review all submissions and will provide an evaluation according to the following criteria:

• originality and novelty
• quality and accuracy
• relevance to the conference
• impact in the fields of the conference
• evidence (theoretical or empirical)
• presentation and clarity

Authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to register for the conference in order to present their work (each accepted abstract must have at least one registered author). The presented contributions will be published, free of charge, in the digital HELMeTO 2026 Book of Abstracts (with ISBN).

Full Paper submission

Authors of contributions that have been presented at the conference will be invited to submit an extended version of their work in the form of a full paper (minimum 12 pages, preferably not exceeding 18 pages). Full papers will undergo a second round of peer review. Accepted full papers will be included, free of charge, in the conference post-proceedings.

The post-proceedings of all the previous editions of HELMeTO have been published in Springer Communications in Computer and Information Science (CCIS) series) indexed in Scopus and other major databases (https://link.springer.com/conference/helmeto . The proceedings of HELMeTO 2025 are currently under publication and will be available on the Springer platform soon). This year as well, the HELMeTO ’26 organisers have submitted a proposal to Springer for the publication of the post-proceedings in the same series.

List of Topics

• AI and Digital Transformation in Higher Education
  Artificial Intelligence, emerging technologies, and their impact on university teaching, learning, and institutional innovation
• Online, Blended, and Hybrid Learning Environments
  Distance education, flexible learning models, global and cross-institutional education
• Instructional Design and Digital Pedagogies
  Learning design, course development, and innovative teaching approaches for technology-enhanced higher education
• Assessment, Learning Analytics, and Data-Driven Education
  Digital assessment, learning analytics, educational data mining, and student performance prediction
• Collaborative, Inclusive, and Open Education
  Online communities, peer learning, accessibility, equity, and open education practices
• Ethics, Governance, and Sustainability of Digital Education
  Data privacy, ethical implications, standards, interoperability, and sustainable digital ecosystems

Additional and more specialised topics are addressed through the Special Tracks available at: https://www.helmeto.it/2026-edition/special-tracks-2026/

Committees

General Chairs

• Giovanni Bonaiuti (Università degli Studi di Cagliari)
• Gianni Fenu (Università degli Studi di Cagliari)
• Giovanni Fulantelli (Istituto per le Tecnologie Didattiche – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche)

Program Chairs

• Matteo Adamoli (Università degli studi eCampus)
• Massimo Bartoletti (Università degli Studi di Cagliari)
• Ludovico Boratto (Università degli Studi di Cagliari)
• Farnaz Farahi (Università degli studi eCampus)
• Serena Mazzoli (Università degli studi eCampus)

Invited Speakers

• Prof. Kate Borthwick - Professor of Digital Education in Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at the University of Southampton.
• Dr Velislava (Veli) Hillman - Founder of the EDDS Institute and Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Publication

Helmeto2026 extended abstracts will be published in in the digital HELMeTO 2026 Book of Abstracts (with ISBN).

Authors of contributions that have been presented at the conference will be invited to submit an extended version of their work in the form of a full paper. Full papers will undergo a second round of peer review. Accepted full papers will be included, free of charge, in the conference post-proceedings. The post-proceedings of all the previous editions of HELMeTO have been published in Springer Communications in Computer and Information Science (CCIS) series) indexed in Scopus and other major databases (https://link.springer.com/conference/helmeto). This year as well, the HELMeTO ’26 organisers have submitted a proposal to Springer for the publication of the post-proceedings in the same series.

Venue

The conference will be held in Cagliari (Italy), September 28-30, 2026.

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to conference@helmeto.it