Demographic features are commonly used in Educational Data Mining (EDM) research to predict at-risk students. Yet, the practice of using demographic features has to be considered extremely problematic due to the data's sensitive nature, but also because (historic and representation) biases likely exist in the training data, which leads to strong…

It is well known that post-secondary science and engineering programs attract fewer female students. In this paper, we analyze gender differences through text mining of over 30,000 applications to the engineering faculty of a large North American university. We use syntactic and semantic analysis methods to highlight differences in motivation,…

Gathering labeled data in educational data mining (EDM) is a time and cost intensive task. However, the amount of available training data directly influences the quality of predictive models. Unlabeled data, on the other hand, is readily available in high volumes from intelligent tutoring systems and massive open online courses. In this paper, we…

Learner categorization has a pivotal role in making e-learning systems a success. However, learner characteristics exploited at abstract level of granularity by contemporary techniques cannot categorize the learners effectively. In this paper, an architecture of e-learning framework has been presented that exploits the machine learning based…

In this paper, we present a dataset consisting of data generated from 22 previously and currently running randomized controlled experiments inside the ASSISTments online learning platform. This dataset provides data mining opportunities for researchers to analyze ASSISTments data in a convenient format across multiple experiments at the same time.…

The continuous advancement of natural user interfaces (NUIs) allows for the development of novel and creative ways to support collocated collaborative work in a wide range of areas, including teaching and learning. The use of NUIs, such as those based on interactive multi-touch surfaces and tangible user interfaces (TUIs), can offer unique…

The number of e-learning platforms and blended learning environments is continuously increasing and has sparked a lot of research around improvements of educational processes. Here, the ability to accurately predict student performance plays a vital role. Previous studies commonly focused on the construction of predictors tailored to a formal…

Certain stereotypes can be associated with people from different countries. For example, the Italians are expected to be emotional, the Germans functional, and the Chinese hard-working. In this study, we cluster all 15-year-old students representing the 68 different nations and territories that participated in the latest Programme for…

Student models for adaptive systems may not model collaborative learning optimally. Past research has either focused on modeling individual learning or for collaboration, has focused on group dynamics or group processes without predicting learning. In the current paper, we adjust the Additive Factors Model (AFM), a standard logistic regression…

Student models for adaptive systems may not model collaborative learning optimally. Past research has either focused on modeling individual learning or for collaboration, has focused on group dynamics or group processes without predicting learning. In the current paper, we adjust the Additive Factors Model (AFM), a standard logistic regression…

An underlying theme of this paper is that it can be easier and more efficient to conduct valid and effective research studies in online environments than in traditional classrooms. Taking advantage of the "big data" available in an online university, we conducted a study in which a massive online database was used to predict student…

This paper reports the results of two studies of the readability of FORTRAN programs, i.e., the ease with which a programmer can read and analyze programs already written, particularly in the processes of maintenance and debugging. In the first study, low-level characteristics of 202 FORTRAN programs stored on the general-use UNIX systems at Bell…

A syntax methodology provides a descriptive mechanism to enable machine readable storage and retrieval of numeric data contained in bibliographic documents. The body of this paper treats the nature of "the syntax,""the data element," and the language by which this syntax is expressed. A discussion of the methodology illustrates…

The purpose of this study was to describe how middle school students physically arrange and organize statistical data. A case-study analysis was used to define and characterize the styles in which students handle, organize, and group statistical data. A series of four statistical tasks (Mooney, Langrall, Hofbauer, & Johnson, 2001) were given…

Categorizes different theoretical justifications of data fusion into two approaches, examines their implications, analyzes some unsuccessful data fusion experiments, and proposes two conditions for effective data fusion. Results indicate that the efficacy and inter-scheme dissimilarity are good predictors for effectiveness of data fusion.…