Stealth Assessment of Self-Regulative Behaviors within a Game-Based Environment

abstract: Students' ability to regulate and control their behaviors during learning has been shown to be a critical skill for academic success. However, researchers often struggle with ways to capture the nuances of this ability, often solely relying on self-report measures. This thesis proposal employs a novel approach to investigating variations in students' ability to self-regulate by using process data from the game-based Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS) iSTART-ME. This approach affords a nuanced examination of how students' regulate their interactions with game-based features at both a coarse-grained and fine-grain levels and the ultimate impact that those behaviors have on in-system performance and learning outcomes (i.e., self-explanation quality). This thesis is comprised of two submitted manuscripts that examined how a group of 40 high school students chose to engage with game-based features and how those interactions influenced their target skill performance. Findings suggest that in-system log data has the potential to provide stealth assessments of students' self-regulation while learning.Dissertation/ThesisM.A. Psychology 201

Documenting Downloadable Assistive Technologies

This major research project explores Downloadable Assistive Technologies (DAT) and the possibilities as well as the limitations of publishing and fabricating DAT through online 3D printing communities. A design probe was used for this research within the context of Thingiverse, in the form of a 3D printed dog wheelchair design probe – the FiGO Dog Wheelchair. FiGO enabled an exploration of issues of design and communication of DAT. Through research involving both end users as well as a health professional, as well as interactions within the FiGO project page on Thingiverse, criteria for communicating DAT published on Thingiverse were developed, and a second FiGO project page reflecting these criteria was prototyped and evaluated. It is concluded that DAT could potentially benefit most greatly from a structured set of guidelines of use and communication of risks in the form of a design brief, and that there are specific considerations to developing a meaningful design brief for DAT including: 1) Tell the story of the design, 2) Do not make assumptions about the end user, 3) Clear instruction about the design use, 4) Inclusion of source files to enable user participation and extension of the design

Unlocking the power of generative AI models and systems such asGPT-4 and ChatGPT for higher education

Generative AI technologies, such as large language models, have the potential to revolutionize much of our higher education teaching and learning. ChatGPT is an impressive, easy-to-use, publicly accessible system demonstrating the power of large language models such as GPT-4. Other compa- rable generative models are available for text processing, images, audio, video, and other outputs and we expect a massive further performance increase, integration in larger software systems, and diffusion in the coming years. This technological development triggers substantial uncertainty and change in university-level teaching and learning. Students ask questions like: How can ChatGPT or other artificial intelligence tools support me? Am I allowed to use ChatGPT for a seminar or final paper, or is that cheating? How exactly do I use ChatGPT best? Are there other ways to access models such as GPT-4? Given that such tools are here to stay, what skills should I acquire, and what is obsolete? Lecturers ask similar questions from a different perspective: What skills should I teach? How can I test students competencies rather than their ability to prompt generative AI models? How can I use ChatGPT and other systems based on generative AI to increase my efficiency or even improve my students learning experience and outcomes? Even if the current discussion revolves around ChatGPT and GPT-4, these are only the forerunners of what we can expect from future generative AI-based models and tools. So even if you think ChatGPT is not yet technically mature, it is worth looking into its impact on higher education. This is where this whitepaper comes in. It looks at ChatGPT as a contemporary example of a conversational user interface that leverages large language models. The whitepaper looks at ChatGPT from the perspective of students and lecturers. It focuses on everyday areas of higher education: teaching courses, learning for an exam, crafting seminar papers and theses, and assessing students learning outcomes and performance. For this purpose, we consider the chances and concrete application possibilities, the limits and risks of ChatGPT, and the underlying large language models. This serves two purposes: First, we aim to provide concrete examples and guidance for individual students and lecturers to find their way of dealing with ChatGPT and similar tools. Second, this whitepaper shall inform the more extensive organizational sensemaking processes on embracing and enclosing large language models or related tools in higher education. We wrote this whitepaper based on our experience in information systems, computer science, management, and sociology. We have hands-on experience in using generative AI tools. As professors, postdocs, doctoral candidates, and students, we constantly innovate our teaching and learning. Fully embracing the chances and challenges of generative AI requires adding further perspectives from scholars in various other disciplines (focusing on didactics of higher education and legal aspects), university administrations, and broader student groups. Overall, we have a positive picture of generative AI models and tools such as GPT-4 and ChatGPT. As always, there is light and dark, and change is difficult. However, if we issue clear guidelines on the part of the universities, faculties, and individual lecturers, and if lecturers and students use such systems efficiently and responsibly, our higher education system may improve. We see a greatchance for that if we embrace and manage the change appropriately

A Literature Review on Intelligent Services Applied to Distance Learning

Distance learning has assumed a relevant role in the educational scenario. The use of Virtual Learning Environments contributes to obtaining a substantial amount of educational data. In this sense, the analyzed data generate knowledge used by institutions to assist managers and professors in strategic planning and teaching. The discovery of students’ behaviors enables a wide variety of intelligent services for assisting in the learning process. This article presents a literature review in order to identify the intelligent services applied in distance learning. The research covers the period from January 2010 to May 2021. The initial search found 1316 articles, among which 51 were selected for further studies. Considering the selected articles, 33% (17/51) focus on learning systems, 35% (18/51) propose recommendation systems, 26% (13/51) approach predictive systems or models, and 6% (3/51) use assessment tools. This review allowed for the observation that the principal services offered are recommendation systems and learning systems. In these services, the analysis of student profiles stands out to identify patterns of behavior, detect low performance, and identify probabilities of dropouts from courses.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

SimplyRetrieve: A Private and Lightweight Retrieval-Centric Generative AI Tool

Large Language Model (LLM) based Generative AI systems have seen significant progress in recent years. Integrating a knowledge retrieval architecture allows for seamless integration of private data into publicly available Generative AI systems using pre-trained LLM without requiring additional model fine-tuning. Moreover, Retrieval-Centric Generation (RCG) approach, a promising future research direction that explicitly separates roles of LLMs and retrievers in context interpretation and knowledge memorization, potentially leads to more efficient implementation. SimplyRetrieve is an open-source tool with the goal of providing a localized, lightweight, and user-friendly interface to these sophisticated advancements to the machine learning community. SimplyRetrieve features a GUI and API based RCG platform, assisted by a Private Knowledge Base Constructor and a Retrieval Tuning Module. By leveraging these capabilities, users can explore the potential of RCG for improving generative AI performance while maintaining privacy standards. The tool is available at https://github.com/RCGAI/SimplyRetrieve with an MIT license.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

A New Era of Artificial Intelligence in Education: A Multifaceted Revolution

The recent high performance of ChatGPT on several standardized academic test has thrust the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) into the mainstream conversation about the future of education. The objective of the present study is to investigate the effect of AI on education by examining its applications, advantages, and challenges. Our report focuses on the use of artificial intelligence in collaborative teacher-student learning, intelligent tutoring systems, automated assessment, and personalized learning. We also look into potential negative aspects, ethical issues, and possible future routes for AI implementation in education. Ultimately, we find that the only way forward is to accept and embrace the new technology, while implementing guardrails to prevent its abuse

EFEITOS INOVADORES DA INTELIGÊNCIA ARTIFICIAL NA FORMAÇÃO DE PROFESSORES

The goal of this investigation was to see the impact of AI on teacher education. To have a better understanding of how it will impact teacher education in problem-solving, how it will aid in planning, and whether it will promote continuous learning in teacher education. The study allows instructors and students from tertiary institutions in The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to express their views. Three primary research topics guided these investigations, and four semi-structured interview questions were developed to obtain thorough responses to these issues. The opinions of the participants were solicited in person. The findings showed that both students and lecturers were aware and comfortable with AI in educational systems, that AI has had significant effects on problem-solving in teacher education, and that AI is vital for facilitating planning in teacher education. Finally, it was emphasized that the application of AI in teacher education allows for continuous learning, which has benefits as well as drawbacks.O objetivo desta investigação era ver o impacto da IA na formação de professores. Ter uma melhor compreensão de como isso afetará a formação de professores na resolução de problemas, como ajudará no planejamento e se promoverá a aprendizagem contínua na formação de professores. O estudo permite que instrutores e estudantes de instituições terciárias da República Turca do Norte de Chipre expressem as suas opiniões. Três tópicos primários de pesquisa orientaram essas investigações, e quatro perguntas de entrevista semiestruturadas foram desenvolvidas para obter respostas completas a essas questões. As opiniões dos participantes foram solicitadas pessoalmente. As conclusões mostraram que tanto os alunos como os docentes estavam conscientes e confortáveis com a IA nos sistemas educativos, que a IA teve efeitos significativos na resolução de problemas na formação de professores e que a IA é vital para facilitar o planeamento na formação de professores. Por fim, enfatizou-se que a aplicação da IA na formação de professores permite a aprendizagem contínua, o que traz vantagens e desvantagens

Integrating View Conditions for Image Synthesis

In the field of image processing, applying intricate semantic modifications within existing images remains an enduring challenge. This paper introduces a pioneering framework that integrates viewpoint information to enhance the control of image editing tasks. By surveying existing object editing methodologies, we distill three essential criteria, consistency, controllability, and harmony, that should be met for an image editing method. In contrast to previous approaches, our method takes the lead in satisfying all three requirements for addressing the challenge of image synthesis. Through comprehensive experiments, encompassing both quantitative assessments and qualitative comparisons with contemporary state-of-the-art methods, we present compelling evidence of our framework's superior performance across multiple dimensions. This work establishes a promising avenue for advancing image synthesis techniques and empowering precise object modifications while preserving the visual coherence of the entire composition

Use of Multimedia Games for Biology Vocabulary Instruction

Vocabulary knowledge is considered fundamental to learning. However, students typically find learning scientific vocabulary quite difficult, and that is especially true for biology vocabulary. Games are well established as effective tools for vocabulary instruction. Multimedia instruction is likewise recognized as aiding vocabulary learning. To date, however, there seems have been little examination of the use of multimedia games in biology vocabulary instruction. This study, therefore, compared the effectiveness of digital multimedia games and traditional instruction in teaching biology vocabulary. A two-group, quasi-experimental study was carried out over the course of 61 days. Participants were a convenience sample of 10 high school biology classes (N = 276). Fixed-effects multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used for three dependent variables: 1) scores on tests of biology vocabulary; 2) scores on tests of biology concepts; and 3) vocabulary feedback and Reduced Instructional Materials Motivation Survey (RIMMS) scores. The multimedia group put more work into the vocabulary practice at Time 1 (27 days) and Time 2 (59 days) than did the traditional-instruction group, to a degree that was statistically significant. In addition, at Time 2 the multimedia group indicated a greater feeling that the practice was helping them learn the vocabulary, once again to a degree that was statistically significant. RIMMS data collected after the end of instruction also showed that the multimedia instruction group scored higher on measures of learner satisfaction than the traditional instruction control group, to a statistically significant degree. Contrary to what previous research would predict, there was no statistically significant difference in vocabulary learning between groups using multimedia games and those using traditional instruction. In keeping with previous research, use of multimedia games for instruction led to higher learner motivation, expressed as a greater level of satisfaction with the instructional materials and a greater willingness to spend more time on task when compared to learners receiving traditional instruction. Thus one implication of this study is that the use multimedia games for biology vocabulary instruction has the potential to increase learner satisfaction and motivation

The impact of ChatGPT on blended learning: Current trends and future research directions

Designing sustainable and scalable educational systems is a challenge. Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers promising solutions to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of blended learning systems. This research paper focuses on the integration of the Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT), with a blended learning system. The objectives of this study are to investigate the potential of AI techniques in enhancing the sustainability of educational systems, explore the use of ChatGPT to personalize the learning experience and improve engagement, and propose a model for sustainable learning that incorporates AI. The study aims to contribute to the body of knowledge on AI applications for sustainable education, identify best practices for integrating AI in education, and provide insights for policymakers and educators on the benefits of AI in education delivery. The study emphasizes the significance of AI in sustainable education by addressing personalized learning and educational accessibility. By automating administrative tasks and optimizing content delivery, AI can enhance educational accessibility and promote inclusive and equitable education. The study’s findings highlight the potential benefits of integrating AI chatbots like ChatGPT into education. Such benefits include promoting student engagement, motivation, and self-directed learning through immediate feedback and assistance. The research provides valuable guidance for educators, policymakers, and instructional designers who seek to effectively leverage AI technology in education. In conclusion, the study recommends directions for future research in order to maximize the benefits of integrating ChatGPT into learning systems. Positive results have been observed, including improved learning outcomes, enhanced student engagement, and personalized learning experiences. Through advancing the utilization of AI tools like ChatGPT, blended learning systems can be made more sustainable, efficient, and accessible for learners worldwide