This article has been accepted for inclusion in a future issue of this journal. Content is final as presented, with the exception of pagination. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION 1 Cloud Computing for Education: A Systematic Mapping Study Maria Teresa Baldassarre, Danilo Caivano, Giovanni Dimauro , Enrica Gentile, and Giuseppe Visaggio Abstract—This paper examines the cloud computing for education (CCE) literature, and analyzes if the research is devel- oping scientifically with adequate empirical validation. All aspects of empirical investigations covered in the literature are shown as weak, hence, the necessary scientific development of CCE requires extending its scope of interest, and involving schol- ars synergistically to create and maintain a “common research agenda.” Background: A need to develop research on CCE has been recognized, and considerable efforts made to create an accurate understanding of the development of its scope of interest, in terms of supporting pedagogical developments and processes for better quality of studies. Research Questions: This paper has three main aims: 1) to evaluate the scope of interest in the literature for CCE with specific reference to pedagogy and educational processes; 2) to analyze the characteristics of papers, specifically empirical stud- ies, from the various points of view of the daily improvement activities of teachers and learners at all levels of education; and 3) to identify eventual research gaps to consider and stimulate new topics or further investigations. Methodology: This systematic mapping study review followed a rigorous, replicable process to collect and analyze representative studies of CCE. Findings: Differences are found across geographic areas in applying CCE infrastructure and technologies in educational institutions; few studies address CCE’s impact on pedagogic processes. The scope of interest in CCE is only partially covered; with empirical research being very shallow. Suggestions are made for more effective research on concerning the production and use of content. Index Terms—Cloud computing, computer-based instruction, educational technology, e-learning, instructional methods, learn- ing environment, systematic mapping study, technology-enhanced learning. I. I NTRODUCTION E -LEARNING (electronic learning) is an active field in the applied computer science domain, enriched by recent information technology innovations. A more common term is Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) [1]; newly-emerged technologies have led to new forms of TEL, such as m-learning (mobile learning), a service that typically combines mobile and wireless technologies to provide learning instruments and Manuscript received June 1, 2016; revised May 25, 2017 and October 24, 2017; accepted January 4, 2018. (Corresponding author: Giovanni Dimauro.) The authors are with the Dipartimento di Informatica, Università degli Studi di Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy (e-mail: giovanni.dimauro@uniba.it). Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org. Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TE.2018.2796558 educational resources, making lessons available and accessi- ble to anyone everywhere through mobile devices [2]. Another example of TEL is v-learning (virtual learning), providing rich learning resources in a unique, easily accessible virtual environment [3]. E-learning services make use of intensive computing scenarios (e.g., virtual worlds, simulations, video streaming, data analysis, empirical experimentation) and large- scale cooperation for content production such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on- demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (such as networks, servers, storage, appli- cations and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with a minimum of management effort and interaction with the supplier [4], [5]. Based on [5], cloud computing should present five essential characteristics: (1) on-demand self-service, allowing consumers to manage their own virtual resources without interacting with the supplier, with broad network access (e.g., the Internet) via heterogeneous client platforms such as smartphones, tablets and PCs; (2) resource pooling, making resources accessible to multiple producers and to any authorized consumer; (3) rapid allocation, provid- ing resources quickly and releasing them immediately after use; (4) measured service, automatically controlling the pro- vision of services and (5) metric templates to optimize and measure (in terms of visibility and payment) service provision for both the supplier and the user. These five features provide many opportunities in educa- tional development [6]. Cloud computing can provide several interesting instruments for both teachers and students, for example, displaying computing resources for lessons and labs on request and according to different user needs. Cloud com- puting facilitates the provision of more flexible courses based on students’ specific needs, when and where they want; it also helps teachers create lesson content that meets their specific requirements [3]. The cost of such resources depends on the quantity and time of use. For example, where teachers need to create a vir- tual computing environment (virtual machine) for a laboratory lesson, some institutions are using cloud computing’s col- laboration and storage services to create a virtual learning environment [3] that would be expensive and time-consuming in real life. Cloud computing facilitates the widespread use of TEL, without need for infrastructure or specific skilled personnel, and within a very short amount of time. The area of CCE has thus generated great interest among researchers as indicated by numerous studies in [6]–[9], as 0018-9359 c  2018 IEEE. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission. See http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/rights/index.html for more information.