Student Modeling From Different Aspects

With the wide usage of online tutoring systems, researchers become interested in mining data from logged files of these systems, so as to get better understanding of students. Varieties of aspects of students’ learning have become focus of studies, such as modeling students’ mastery status and affects. On the other hand, Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT), which is an unbiased method for getting insights of education, finds its way in Intelligent Tutoring System. Firstly, people are curious about what kind of settings would work better. Secondly, such a tutoring system, with lots of students and teachers using it, provides an opportunity for building a RCT infrastructure underlying the system. With the increasing interest in Data mining and RCTs, the thesis focuses on these two aspects. In the first part, we focus on analyzing and mining data from ASSISTments, an online tutoring system run by a team in Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Through the data, we try to answer several questions from different aspects of students learning. The first question we try to answer is what matters more to student modeling, skill information or student information. The second question is whether it is necessary to model students’ learning at different opportunity count. The third question is about the benefits of using partial credit, rather than binary credit as measurement of students’ learning in RCTs. The fourth question focuses on the amount that students spent Wheel Spinning in the tutoring system. The fifth questions studies the tradeoff between the mastery threshold and the time spent in the tutoring system. By answering the five questions, we both propose machine learning methodology that can be applied in educational data mining, and present findings from analyzing and mining the data. In the second part, we focused on RCTs within ASSISTments. Firstly, we looked at a pilot study of reassessment and relearning, which suggested a better system setting to improve students’ robust learning. Secondly, we proposed the idea to build an infrastructure of learning within ASSISTments, which provides the opportunities to improve the whole educational environment

A Foundation For Educational Research at Scale: Evolution and Application

The complexities of how people learn have plagued researchers for centuries. A range of experimental and non-experimental methodologies have been used to isolate and implement positive interventions for students\u27 cognitive, meta-cognitive, behavioral, and socio-emotional successes in learning. But the face of learning is changing in the digital age. The value of accrued knowledge, popular throughout the industrial age, is being overpowered by the value of curiosity and the ability to ask critical questions. Most students can access the largest free collection of human knowledge (and cat videos) with ease using their phones or laptops and omnipresent cellular and Wi-Fi networks. Viewing this new-age capacity for connection as an opportunity, educational stakeholders have delegated many traditional learning tasks to online environments. With this influx of online learning, student errors can be corrected with immediacy, student data is more prevalent and actionable, and teachers can intervene with efficiency and efficacy. As such, endeavors in educational data mining, learning analytics, and authentic educational research at scale have grown popular in recent years; fields afforded by the luxuries of technology and driven by the age-old goal of understanding how people learn. This dissertation explores the evolution and application of ASSISTments Research, an approach to authentic educational research at scale that leverages ASSISTments, a popular online learning platform, to better understand how people learn. Part I details the evolution and advocacy of two tools that form the research arm of ASSISTments: the ASSISTments TestBed and the Assessment of Learning Infrastructure (ALI). An NSF funded Data Infrastructure Building Blocks grant (#1724889, $494,644 2017-2020), outlines goals for the new age of ASSISTments Research as a result of lessons learned in recent years. Part II details a personal application of these research tools with a focus on the framework of Self Determination Theory. The primary facets of this theory, thought to positively affect learning and intrinsic motivation, are investigated in depth through randomized controlled trials targeting Autonomy, Belonging, and Competence. Finally, a synthesis chapter highlights important connections between Parts I & II, offering lessons learned regarding ASSISTments Research and suggesting additional guidance for its future development, while broadly defining contributions to the Learning Sciences community

Volume 2005-2006 - Issue 2 - Spring, 2006

https://scholar.rose-hulman.edu/rose_echoes/1067/thumbnail.jp

Effective Online Practice Strategies Using the ASSISTments Framework

Online practice and teaching tools have existed for awhile now. Companies like Pearson have cornered the market in higher education with prohibitively priced products. ASSISTments seeks to provide an equivalent or superior service through an open source platform. This project developed content on this platform to serve the needs of AP physics classes and to survey the efficacy of different instruction methods

Analysis of Student Behavior and Score Prediction in Assistments Online Learning

Understanding and analyzing student behavior is paramount in enhancing online learning, and this thesis delves into the subject by presenting an in-depth analysis of student behavior and score prediction in the ASSISTments online learning platform. We used data from the EDM Cup 2023 Kaggle Competition to answer four key questions. First, we explored how students seeking hints and explanations affect their performance in assignments, shedding light on the role of guidance in learning. Second, we looked at the connection between students mastering specific skills and their performance in related assignments, giving insights into the effectiveness of curriculum alignment. Third, we identified important features from student activity data to improve grade prediction, helping identify at-risk students early and monitor their progress. Lastly, we used graph representation learning to understand complex relationships in the data, leading to more accurate predictive models. This research enhances our understanding of data mining in online learning, with implications for personalized learning and support mechanisms

인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼 사용에 대한 중국 교사의 인식

학위논문 (석사) -- 서울대학교 대학원 : 사범대학 교육학과, 2021. 2. 조영환.최근 교육 분야에서 인공지능(AI)의 도입이 큰 관심을 끌고 있다. 특히 AI 기술과 학습 분석이 결합한 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼은 지금껏 실현되기 어려웠던 맞춤형 학습(personalized learning)과 적응적 학습(adaptive learning)에 도움이 될 수 있도록 발전하고 있다. 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼(AI-based education platform)은 학습자의 행동 추적 등을 통해 이들의 특성을 분석하고 진단을 제공한 뒤 분석 결과를 토대로 학습자에게 인지 수준에 맞는 맞춤형 학습자원과 피드백을 제공한다. 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼은 교사와 학생에게 실시간 학습 데이터와 분석 결과, 그리고 피드백을 제공할 수 있어 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼이 맞춤형 학습에 긍정적인 의미가 있다는 선행 연구도 있었다. 그럼에도 불구하고, 기존 연구는 모델 개발의 차원에서나 엄밀한 실험실 환경에서 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼의 효과를 연구해왔으며, 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼에 대한 교사의 인식과 관련된 연구는 드물었다. 교사는 인공지능 교육 기술의 사용자이기 때문에 인공지능 교육 기술의 교육 도입에 있어 교사들의 인식과 의견은 중요하다. 본 연구는 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼을 활용하는 것에 대한 교사들의 인식을 탐구하였다. 아래 연구 문제를 다루기 위해 질적 연구를 시행하였다. 첫째, 중국 교사들은 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼이 중학교 교육에 활용 있어 어떠한 장점이 있다고 인식하는가? 둘째, 중국 교사들은 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼과 중학교 교수 활동 요소 간 어떠한 모순이 있다고 인식하는가? 셋째, 중국 교사들은 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼을 중학교 교육에 도입할 때 무엇이 필요하다고 인식하는가? 본 연구는 중국 교사들을 연구대상으로 온라인 심층 면담을 하였다. 문헌 리뷰를 통해 면담 질문지를 설계하되 눈덩이표집법 (snowball sampling)을 통해 중국 중학교 교사 14명을 연구참여자로 선정하였다. 선정된 교사들은 모두 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼 사용 경험이 있으며 각 교사를 대상으로 약 1시간 정도 면담을 진행하고 녹음하였다. 면담이 끝난 후 녹음 내용을 전사하였으며, 주제분석을 사용하여 면담 내용을 초기 코드 생성하고 면담 자료 속에서 주제를 도출하였다. 특히 연구 문제 2번의 경우, 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼 활용과 교수 학습활동 내 여러 요소 간의 모순을 분석하기 위해 활동이론을 연구의 틀로 이용하였다. 최종적으로 연구문제 1에 대한 주제 4개, 연구문제 2에 대한 주제 6개, 연구문제 3에 대한 주제 4개를 도출하였다. 연구 결과로 교사들은 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼의 장점에 대해 즉각적인 피드백 제공, 교수학습 지원, 교사의 업무량 감소 등으로 인식하였고, 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼이 다양한 교수학습 자원을 통합할 수 있다고 인식하였다. 아울러 교사들은 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼의 사용에 있어 기존의 교수학습 활동과 상충된 부분이 있다는 점을 인식하였다. 교사들은 기존 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼의 추천 모델이 차별화된 학생들에게 잘 적용되지 못한다는 것을 인식하였다. 그리고 기존 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼이 다양한 학습 자원을 잘 분류되지 못하기 때문에 교사들이 사용하기 불편하다. 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼을 이용할 때 교사의 지적재산권을 보호하기 위한 명확한 규제가 부족하다고 인식하였다. 이와 함께 학부모들은 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼을 사용함으로써 발생할 수 있는 학습자의 인터넷 남용과 시력 저하 문제를 우려하였다. 또 중국의 사회문화적 배경과 교육 특성으로 인해 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼을 활용하는 데 학생들의 글씨 쓰기 능력에 영향을 미칠 수 있으며, 학교 내 전자기기 사용 제한도 데이터 수집의 지속성과 효율성에 영향을 미칠 수 있다고 인식하였다. 교사들은 위의 문제들이 인공지능 교육 플랫폼 사용에 대한 규칙 마련과 인공지능 기술을 개선함으로써 완화될 수 있다고 인식하였다. 또한 교사의 실제 요구에 맞게 개발될 수 있도록 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼 개발 과정에 교육 전문가와 교사가 참여할 필요가 있다. 본 연구는 중국 교사들이 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼에 대한 인식을 탐색하였으며, 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼이 교수학습에서의 장점과 문제점을 밝혔다. 아울러 본 연구는 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼이 교육 분야에 대규모로 도입될 수 있도록 규칙, 인공지능 기술, 그리고 교육 공학의 차원에서 사용 규범과 기술 개선을 제안하였다. 본 연구를 통해 탐색한 내용이 향후 교육 분야의 인공지능 기반 교육 플랫폼 도입에 활용된다면 인공지능 교육 기술에 관한 연구의 발전에도 기여할 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.In recent years, the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in education has attracted widespread attention. In particular, the AI-based education platform based on the combination of AI technology and learning analysis brings new light to the long-standing difficulties in personalized learning and adaptive learning. The AI-based education platform analyzes learners' characteristics by collecting their data and tracking their learning behavior. It then generates cognitive diagnosis for learners and provides them with personalized learning resources and adaptive feedback that match their cognitive level based on systematic analysis. With the help of the AI-based education platform, teachers and students can get real-time educational data and analysis result，as well as the feedback and treatment corresponding to the results. Previous studies have already demonstrated and proved its positive significance to personalized learning. However, these studies mostly start from a model development perspective or in a rigorous laboratory environment. There has been little research on teachers' perceptions of AI-based education platform. As a direct user of AI educational technologies, teachers' perceptions and suggestions are vital for introducing AIEd in education. In this study, the researcher explored teachers' perceptions of using AI-based education platform in teaching. The study conducted qualitative research to address the following research questions: 1) How do Chinese teachers perceive the advantages of AI-based education platforms for teaching and learning in secondary school? 2) How do Chinese teachers perceive the contradictions between AI-based education platforms and the secondary school system? 3）How do Chinese teachers suggest applying AI-based education platforms in secondary school? And it referred to the in-depth online interview with Chinese teachers who had experience with AI-based education platform. Interview questions were constructed through the literature review, and 14 secondary school teachers were selected by the snowball sampling method. The interviews lasted for an average of one hour per teacher and were transcribed from the audio recordings to text documents when finished. Afterward, the data were analyzed using thematic analysis, including generating initial codes, searching and reviewing the categories, and deriving the themes finally. Notably, for research question two, the researcher used the activity theory framework to analyze the contradictions among the use of the AI-based education platform and the various elements of the teaching and learning activities. Finally, four themes for research question 1, six themes for research question 2, and four themes for research question 3 were derived. As for the advantages, teachers believe that AI-based education platforms can provide instant feedback, targeted and systematic teaching support, and reduce teachers' workload. At the same time, AI-based education platforms can also integrate teaching resources in different areas. Teachers also recognized that the AI-based education platforms might trigger contradictions in existing teaching activities. They are aware of the situation that the recommended model of the AI-based education platform is not suitable for all levels of students; that a large number of learning resources are not classified properly enough to meet the needs of teachers, and that there lack clear rules and regulations to protect teachers' intellectual property rights when using the platform. Besides, parents are also concerned about the potential risk of internet addiction and vision problems using AI-based education platforms. Moreover, the use of the AI-based education platform may also affect students' ability to write Chinese characters due to the socio-historical background and educational characteristics in China. Furthermore, the restricted use of electronic devices on campus may also impact the consistent and effective education data collection. Teachers believe that these problems can be solved by improving rules and AI technology. Moreover, to make the platform more in line with the actual teaching requirements, teachers and education experts can also be involved in the development process of AI-based education platform. This study explored how Chinese teachers perceive the AI-based education platform and found that the AI-based education platform was conducive to personalized teaching and learning. At the same time, this study put forward some suggestions from the perspective of rules, AI technology, and educational technology, hoping to provide a good value for the future large-scale introduction of AI-based education platforms in education.CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. Problem Statement 1 1.2. Purpose of Research 7 1.3. Definition of Terms 8 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 10 2.1. AI in Education 10 2.1.1 AI for Learning and Teaching 10 2.1.2 AI-based Education Platform 14 2.1.3 Teachers' Perception on AI-based Education Platform 18 2.2. Activity Theory 20 CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH METHOD 23 3.1. Research Design 23 3.2. Participants 25 3.3. Instrumentation 26 3.3.1 Potential Value of AI System in Education 26 3.4. Data Collection 33 3.5. Data Analysis 34 CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS 36 4.1. Advantages of Using AI-based Education Platform 36 4.1.1 Instant Feedback 37 4.1.2 Targeted and Systematic Teaching Support 42 4.1.3 Educational Resources Sharing 46 4.1.4 Reducing Workload 49 4.2. Tensions of Using AI-based Education Platform 51 4.2.1 Inadequately Meet the Needs of Teachers 52 4.2.2 Failure to Satisfy Low and High Achievers 54 4.2.3 Intellectual Property Violation 56 4.2.4 Guardian's Concern 57 4.2.5 School Rules about the Use of Electronic Devices 58 4.2.6 Implication for Chinese Character Education 59 4.3. Suggestion of Using AI-based Education Platform 61 4.3.1 Improving Rules of Using the AI-based Education Platform 61 4.3.2 Improving Rules of Protecting Teachers Right 62 4.3.3 Improving AI Technology 64 4.3.4 Participatory Design 66 CHAPTER 5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 68 5.1. Discussion 68 5.2. Conclusion 72 REFERENCE 75 APPENDIX 1 98 APPENDIX 2 100 국문초록 112Maste

Natural Language Tutoring and the Novice Programmer

For beginning programmers, inadequate problem solving and planning skills are among the most salient of their weaknesses. Novices, by definition, lack much of the tacit knowledge that underlies effective programming. This dissertation examines the efficacy of natural language tutoring (NLT) to foster acquisition of this tacit knowledge. Coached Program Planning (CPP) is proposed as a solution to the problem of teaching the tacit knowledge of programming. The general aim is to cultivate the development of such knowledge by eliciting and scaffolding the problem solving and planning activities that novices are known to underestimate or bypass altogether. ProPL (pro-PELL), a dialogue-based intelligent tutoring system based on CPP, is also described. In an evaluation, the primary findings were that students who received tutoring from ProPL seemed to exhibit an improved ability compose plans and displayed behaviors suggestive of thinking at greater levels of abstraction than students in a read-only control group. The major finding is that NLT appears to be effective in teaching program composition skills

Enhance Learning in a Virtual Professional Environment via 3D Cases

The purpose of this research is toinvestigate the affordances and constraints ofdeveloping 3D teaching vignettes for effectivecase-based learning. It is built on the paradigm ofcase-based learning, which enhances higher-orderthinking abilities. Sparse research explores bothstudents’ engagement and learning outcomes viathree-dimensional (3D) teaching vignettes or 3D cases.In this study, a quasi-experimental study confirmsthe authors’ earlier finding that learnersoverwhelmingly prefer 3D to text-based case studies.A paired samples t-test shows students demonstratesignificant cognitive gains when studying a newdomain subject via a 3D case study. In this paper,the authors describe a design-based research processof developing 3D case studies that capitalizes theaffordances of 3D technologies. An in-depthdiscussion of important issues such as limitations andlessons learned is also included to explore thepragmatics of using 3D technologies to promotelearning