Modelling human teaching tactics and strategies for tutoring systems

One of the promises of ITSs and ILEs is that they will teach and assist learning in an intelligent manner. Historically this has tended to mean concentrating on the interface, on the representation of the domain and on the representation of the student’s knowledge. So systems have attempted to provide students with reifications both of what is to be learned and of the learning process, as well as optimally sequencing and adjusting activities, problems and feedback to best help them learn that domain. We now have embodied (and disembodied) teaching agents and computer-based peers, and the field demonstrates a much greater interest in metacognition and in collaborative activities and tools to support that collaboration. Nevertheless the issue of the teaching competence of ITSs and ILEs is still important, as well as the more specific question as to whether systems can and should mimic human teachers. Indeed increasing interest in embodied agents has thrown the spotlight back on how such agents should behave with respect to learners. In the mid 1980s Ohlsson and others offered critiques of ITSs and ILEs in terms of the limited range and adaptability of their teaching actions as compared to the wealth of tactics and strategies employed by human expert teachers. So are we in any better position in modelling teaching than we were in the 80s? Are these criticisms still as valid today as they were then? This paper reviews progress in understanding certain aspects of human expert teaching and in developing tutoring systems that implement those human teaching strategies and tactics. It concentrates particularly on how systems have dealt with student answers and how they have dealt with motivational issues, referring particularly to work carried out at Sussex: for example, on responding effectively to the student’s motivational state, on contingent and Vygotskian inspired teaching strategies and on the plausibility problem. This latter is concerned with whether tactics that are effectively applied by human teachers can be as effective when embodied in machine teachers

Digital Assistants for Self-Regulated Learning: Towards a State-Of-The-Art Overview

We observe a continuous shift from face-to-face to hybrid or online education. Today, learners are exposed to a high level of autonomy and, at the same time, have less contact with peers and teachers. In this environment, the ability to self-regulate one’s learning is becoming more relevant to achieve positive learning results and academic success. However, the application of self-regulated learning is not trivial. A potential solution for this challenge comes in the form of digital assistants like chatbots or pedagogical agents that provide structure for the learners. Existing research on digital assistants for self-regulated learning is scattered across several fields. In this research-in-progress paper, we present preliminary results of a systematic literature review (SLR) study providing an overview of the state-of- the-art of digital assistants supporting SRL. Our results show that future research in this domain should focus on affect, behavioral, and context regulation and more longitudinal studies are required

Semi-Automated Grading of Novice Java Programs for an Online Grading System

In recent years, World Wide Web usage for teaching and learning has increased rapidly. At the same time, even with some computerized works involved, the traditional grading of home works have not changed too much. Clearly an online grading system would be a highly desirable addition to the educational tool-kit, particularly if it can provide less costly and more effective outcome. The task of grading student programs is neither simple nor entirely mechanical; rather, it is often a tedious and laborious process that is prone to human error. Recently there are a lot of researches in automating this job. Of course, it is acknowledged that there are a number of aspects that are still not amenable to computer implementation: for example, understanding the comments in a program is still beyond the ability of most advanced Artificial Intelligent techniques. However there are many areas in which an automatic grading system can do at least as well or better than human tutor. While grading a program, the correctness of the program plays a vital role. The correctness of a program in our grading environment is determined using a novel method called comparative correctness (CC). In this research, we proposed semi- automatic ways to grade applications. The method CC is presented and tested. The method can be used to test the correctness of methods in a program. Presented in this report included also an interface program that deals with grading program such as applet. This interface program can be applied to applications as well

Tutoring systems based on user-interface dialogue specification

This thesis shows how the appropriate specification of a user interface to an application software package can be used as the basis for constructing a tutorial for teaching the use of that interface. An economy can hence be made by sharing the specification between the application development and tutorial development stages. The major part of the user-interface specification which is utilised, the task classification structure, must be transformed from an operational to a pedagogic ordering. Heuristics are proposed to achieve this, although human expertise is required to apply them. The report approach is best suited to domains with hierarchically-ordered command sets. A portable rule-based shell has been developed in Common Lisp which supports the delivery of tutorials for a range of software application package interfaces. The use of both the shell and tutorials for two such interfaces is reported. A computer-based authoring environment provides support for tutorial development. The shell allows the learner of a software interface to interact directly with the application software being learnt while remaining under tutorial control. The learner can always interrupt in order to request a tutorial on any topic, although advice may be offered against this in the light of the tutor's current knowledge of the learner. This advice can always be over-ridden. The key-stroke sequences of the tutorial designer and the learner interacting with the package are parsed against an application model based on the task classification structure. Diagnosis is effected by a differential modelling technique applied to the structures generated by the parsing processes. The approach reported here is suitable for an unsupported software interface learner and is named LIY (`Learn It Yourself'). It provides a promising method for augmenting a software engineering tool-kit with a new technique for producing tutorials for application software

The effects of the media equation on children

Computers play an increasingly large part in children’s daily lives, yet most interface design research has focused on adult users. One area of research that has informed adult interface design is the Media Equation, which explains how people respond to media in a fundamentally social manner and how they treat computers as social actors in interactions. To date, it was unknown whether these findings apply to children as well. This thesis investigates the effects of the Media Equation on children in three specific areas: praise, team formation, and politeness. It also examines whether varying the form of the computer affects the Media Equation in any way and whether there are any gender differences in how children respond to the Media Equation. Little evidence was found to support the existence of Media Equation effects on children. Children responded positively regardless of whether any Media Equation elements were incorporated into the interfaces. These results raise doubts on whether there is any added value to including Media Equation principles into the design of children’s interfaces. The results do, however, shed some light on children-computer interaction and lead to a set of guidelines for designers of children’s technology

Factors shaping the evolution of electronic documentation systems

The main goal is to prepare the space station technical and managerial structure for likely changes in the creation, capture, transfer, and utilization of knowledge. By anticipating advances, the design of Space Station Project (SSP) information systems can be tailored to facilitate a progression of increasingly sophisticated strategies as the space station evolves. Future generations of advanced information systems will use increases in power to deliver environmentally meaningful, contextually targeted, interconnected data (knowledge). The concept of a Knowledge Base Management System is emerging when the problem is focused on how information systems can perform such a conversion of raw data. Such a system would include traditional management functions for large space databases. Added artificial intelligence features might encompass co-existing knowledge representation schemes; effective control structures for deductive, plausible, and inductive reasoning; means for knowledge acquisition, refinement, and validation; explanation facilities; and dynamic human intervention. The major areas covered include: alternative knowledge representation approaches; advanced user interface capabilities; computer-supported cooperative work; the evolution of information system hardware; standardization, compatibility, and connectivity; and organizational impacts of information intensive environments

Affective e-learning approaches, technology and implementation model: a systematic review

A systematic literature study including articles from 2016 to 2022 was done to evaluate the various approaches, technologies, and implementation models involved in measuring student engagement during learning. The review’s objective was to compile and analyze all studies that investigated how instructors can gauge students’ mental states while teaching and assess the most effective teaching methods. Additionally, it aims to extract and assess expanded methodologies from chosen research publications to offer suggestions and answers to researchers and practitioners. Planning, carrying out the analysis, and publishing the results have all received significant attention in the research approach. The study’s findings indicate that more needs to be done to evaluate student participation objectively and follow their development for improved academic performance. Physiological approaches should be given more support among the alternatives. While deep learning implementation models and contactless technology should interest more researchers. And, the recommender system should be integrated into e-learning system. Other approaches, technologies, and methodology articles, on the other hand, lacked authenticity in conveying student feeling

Scaffolding Human Champions: AI as a More Competent Other

Artifcial intelligence (AI) has surpassed humans in a number of specialised intellectual activities—chess and Go being two of many examples. Amongst the many potential consequences of such a development, I focus on how we can utilise cutting edge AI to promote human learning. The purpose of this article is to explore how a specialised AI can be utilised in a manner that promotes human growth by acting as a tutor to our champions. A framework for using AI as a tutor of human champions based on Vygotsky’s theory of human learning is here presented. It is based on a philosophical analysis of AI capabilities, key aspects of Vygotsky’s theory of human learning, and existing research on intelligent tutoring systems. The main method employed is the theoretical development of a generalised framework for AI powered expert learning systems, using chess and Go as examples. In addition to this, data from public interviews with top professionals in the games of chess and Go are used to examine the feasibility and realism of using AI in such a manner. Basing the analysis on Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory of development, I explain how AI operates in the zone of proximal development of our champions and how even non-educational AI systems can perform certain scafolding functions. I then argue that AI combined with basic modules from intelligent tutoring systems could perform even more scafolding functions, but that the most interesting constellation right now is scafolding by a group consisting of AI in combination with human peers and instructors.publishedVersio

Proceedings of the First European Workshop on Latent Semantic Analysis in Technology Enhanced Learning

Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) has been successfully deployed in various educational applications to enrich learning and teaching with information-technology. The primary goal of the workshop is to bring together experts in the field in order to share knowledge gained within the scattered research about latent semantic analysis in educational applications, in particular from the context of the IST projects Cooper, iCamp,T enCompetence and ProLearn