Cyberlearning technologies increasingly seek to offer personalized learning experiences via adaptive systems that customize pedagogy, content, feedback, pace, and tone according to the just-in-time needs of a learner. However, it is historically difficult to: (1) create these smart learning environments; (2) continuously improve them based on student learning data; (3) facilitate their alignment with learning objectives and government standards; and (4) customize them to particular environments or users. This special issue of the International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education (IJAIED), entitled "Creating and Improving Adaptive Learning: Smart Authoring Tools and Processes," focuses on authoring approaches used to create, improve, align, and customize adaptive learning environments. [This paper was published in the "International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education."]