This proposed research to doctoral thesis aims to identify, describe and understand processes of self-regulated learning.  In this case we want to inquire how university students use them in academic social networks.

This investigation started with other previous small research analyzing relationships in networks. This work related student´s motivation and the social dimension in a social network. Trying to discover new features, we resolved to carry out a study focused on  Self-Regulated Learning (SRL).

In recent decades, SRL acquired importance due to the ideas emerged from the European Higher Education Area context. This framework invites universities to change theirmodels of teaching, so that the students will be the protagonists in charge of their learning. “It promotes teaching students to be thought independent, self-motivated and self-regulated” (Azevedo, Moos, Greene, Winters y Cromley, 2008). However, this model of teaching is hardly present in our universities.

SRL is defined as “an active and constructive process by which the students determine their own learning goals and try to monitor, regulate and control their thoughts, their motivation and their performance according to these goals” (Pintrich, 2000: 459)  

The presence of a huge amount of information on sophisticated digital networks is not enough . It is necessary to develop complex skills (Papert, 1992.1996) Therefore, it is also necessary to teach processes that support the development of the skills and abilities involved. (González et al, 2010 ) .

Principles such as “learning to learn” have been postulated in order to underline the importance of SRL in today`s world, a concept that has become a famous standard in academic skills. (Peñalosa, Landa y Vega, 2006). The interest of this research focuses on the development of SRL processes in the context of higher education where students use ICT. In particular, we are interested in the use of social networks as environments in which social relationships tend to be built in recent years (ONTSI 2011).

Academic social networks are not very present in higher education, despite the great potential attributed to them (Espuny, González, Lleixà and Gisbert 2011). However, they are slowly gaining space to the traditional learning management systems. But the use made of the networks, the level of use of these technologies and the learning that occurs in this virtual place, does not only depend on the environment. We understand that there is interdependence between the pedagogical frame used in the context of the social network and the results obtained.

It is necessary to think not only about the tool that frames the work and guides the proposal, but also about the ecological framework present in the processes that we are studying. Therefore, we study the triad formed by the educational proposal, the social network and the SRL.

To analyze these items we use tools from a new discipline, "Learning Analytics" (LA). LA is a recently created scientific discipline whose main aim is to measure, store and analyze the data collected by the virtual environment about the students’ activities. It intends to understand and optimize the processes of teaching and learning (Siemens & Gasevic 2012). 

Therefore this research aims to respond specifically to the next issues:

• Identifying the teaching proposals that enable SRL of university students.
• Recognizing the characteristics of social networks that enable the development of SRL.
• Inquiring about the role of collaboration in the development of SRL.
• Recognizing the possibilities and limitations offered by the discipline "Learning Analytics" and knowing the tools which allow the monitoring of student learning processes.
• Identifying the characteristics of the students that help in the development of SRL

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