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Pierre Dillenbourg

Nationality: Suisse et Belge

EPFL IC IINFCOM CHILI
RLC D1 740 (Rolex Learning Center)
Station 20
1015 Lausanne

Programme doctoral Learning sciences

Expertise

Computer-supported collaborative learning & work, Learning technologies, MOOCs Human-computer interaction, Educational Robotics, Eye Tracking, Tangible Interfaces, AR & VR, vocational education

Expertise

Computer-supported collaborative learning & work, Learning technologies, MOOCs Human-computer interaction, Educational Robotics, Eye Tracking, Tangible Interfaces, AR & VR, vocational education

Mission

We conduct research on interactive technologies for learning and collaboration, addressing both computational and cognitive aspects.

Current work

See my lab page: http://chili.epfl.ch/
My laboratory will close on 1 March 2026. It can no longer host student or doctoral projects.

A former teacher in elementary school, Pierre Dillenbourg graduated in educational science (University of Mons, Belgium). He started his research on learning technologies in 1984. In 1986, he applied machine learning for developing a self-improving teaching system. He obtained a PhD in computer science from the University of Lancaster (UK), in the domain of artificial intelligence applications for education. He has been senior scientist at the University of Geneva. He joined EPFL in 2002. He has been the director of Center for Research and Support on Learning and its Technologies, then academic director of Center for Digital Education, which implemented the MOOC strategy of EPFL. He is full professor in learning technologies in the School of Computer & Communication Sciences, where he leads the CHILI Lab: "Computer-Human Interaction for Learning & Instruction ». He has been the director of the leading house DUAL-T, which developped technologies for dual vocational education systems (carpenters, florists,...). With EPFL colleagues, he launched in 2017 the Swiss EdTech Collider, an incubator with more than 90 start-ups in learning technologies. He (co-)-founded 5 start-ups, does consulting missions in the corporate world and joined the board of several companies or institutions. In 2018, he co-founded LEARN, the EPFL Center of Learning Sciences that brings together the local initiatives in educational innovation. He is a fellow of the International Society for Learning Sciences. He has also been the Associate Vice-President for Education at EPFL as well as Vice-President for Academic Affairs (Provost) ad interim.

! My lab is closing on 01.03.2026 - I take no more semester project, master thesis or PhD students !

All papers

See EPFL InfoScience repository

Travaux actuels

Cf. http://chili.epfl.ch/

Research

List of publications

Teaching & PhD

Current Phd

Lucas Gérard Julien Burget

Past Phd As Director

Nicolas Nova, Mauro Cherubini, Mirweis Sangin, Guillaume Zufferey, Khaled Bachour, Marc-Antoine Nüssli, Hamed S. Alavi, Lenh Hung Son Do, Quentin Bonnard, Sébastien Cuendet, Andrea Mazzei, Flaviu Roman, Julia Fink, Nan Li, Mirko Raca, Himanshu Verma, Kshitij Sharma, Mina Shirvani Boroujeni, Ayberk Özgür, Lorenzo Lucignano, Shruti Chandra, Thibault Lucien Christian Asselborn, Arzu Güneysu Özgür, Louis Pierre Faucon, Alexis David Jacq, Kevin Gonyop Kim, Elmira Yadollahi, Ramtin Yazdanian, Jauwairia Nasir, Hala Khodr, Sina Shahmoradi, Utku Norman, Chenyang Wang

Past Phd As Codirector

Aurélien Lucchi, Stéphane Bonardi, Fanny Riedo, Adrian Dan Tarniceriu, Teresa Yeo

Courses

Digital education

CS-411

This course addresses the relationship between specific technological features and the learners' cognitive processes. It also covers the methods and results of empirical studies: do student actually learn due to technologies? In fall 2025, P. Dillenbourg will co-teach this class for the last time.

Introduction to Methods in Learning Sciences 1

LEARN-610

This is part 1 of a two part course that provides students with knowledge and skills in collecting, processing and analyzing educational data, including different lenses to view the nature of inquiry in the field, research designs, and an overview of quantitative and qualitative methods.

Introduction to Methods in Learning Sciences 2

LEARN-611

This is part 2 of a two part course that provides students with knowledge and skills in collecting, processing and analyzing educational data, including different lenses to view the nature of inquiry in the field, research designs, and an overview of quantitative and qualitative methods.

JDPLS Summer school

LEARN-701

Two-day Summer School , location TBD with JDPLS thesis directors and students. Students presente their recent research and take part in small-group discussions. Two keynote speakers will give presentations and join discussions with students.

JDPLS Winter school

LEARN-700

Two-day Winter School in Emmetten, Switzerland with JDPLS thesis directors and students. Students presented their recent research and took part in small-group discussions. Two keynote speakers gave presentations and joined discussions with students

Theoretical Foundations of Learning Sciences 1

LEARN-600

How do people learn and how can we support learning? This is part 1 of a two-part course that provides an overview of major theoretical perspectives that attempt to describe how learning works, and serves as an introduction to interpreting education as a means of designing learning environments.

Theoretical Foundations of Learning Sciences 2

LEARN-601

How do people learn and how can we support learning? This is part 2 of a two-part course that provides an overview of major theoretical perspectives that attempt to describe how learning works, and serves as an introduction to interpreting education as a means of designing learning environments.