Personalized problem selection enhances student practice in tutoring systems. Prior research has focused on transparent problem selection that supports learner control but rarely engages learners in selecting practice materials. We explored how different levels of control (i.e., full AI control, shared control, and full learner control), combined…

Caregivers (i.e., parents and members of a child's caring community) are underappreciated stakeholders in learning analytics. Although caregiver involvement can enhance student academic outcomes, many obstacles hinder involvement, most notably knowledge gaps with respect to modern school curricula. An emerging topic of interest in learning…

Randomized A/B tests within online learning platforms enable us to draw unbiased causal estimators. However, precise estimates of treatment effects can be challenging due to minimal participation, resulting in underpowered A/B tests. Recent advancements indicate that leveraging auxiliary information from detailed logs and employing design-based…

To construct dialogue-based Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) with sufficient pedagogical expertise, a trendy research method is to mine large-scale data collected by existing dialogue-based ITS or generated between human tutors and students to discover effective tutoring strategies. However, most of the existing research has mainly focused on…

Past research has yielded ample knowledge regarding the design of analytics-based tools for teachers and has found beneficial effects of several tools on teaching and learning. Yet there is relatively little knowledge regarding the design of tools that support teachers when a class of students uses AI-based tutoring software for self-paced…

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…

Many national science frameworks (e.g., Next Generation Science Standards) argue that developing mathematical modeling competencies is critical for students' deep understanding of science. However, science teachers may be unprepared to assess these competencies. We are addressing this need by developing virtual lab performance assessments that…

Educational technologies, such as teacher dashboards, are being developed to support teachers' instruction and students learning. Specifically, dashboards support teachers in providing the just-in-time instruction needed by students in complex contexts such as science inquiry. In this study, we used the Inq-Blotterteacher-alerting dashboard to…

Accurately modeling individual students' knowledge growth is important in many applications of learning analytics. A key step is to decompose the knowledge targeted in the instruction into detailed knowledge components (KCs). We search for an accurate KC model for basic equation solving skills, using data from an intelligent tutoring system (ITS),…

In honor of Jim Greer, we share our recent work--a design and development study of various learning supports embedded within the game "Physics Playground." This 2-dimensional computer game is designed to help students learn Newtonian physics and uses stealth assessment to measure, in real-time, their physics understanding. The game…

Intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) are commonly designed to enhance student learning. However, they are not typically designed to meet the needs of teachers who use them in their classrooms. ITSs generate a wealth of analytics about student learning and behavior, opening a rich design space for real-time teacher support tools such as dashboards.…

In this paper we show how we can utilize human-guided machine learning techniques coupled with a learning science practitioner interface (DataShop) to identify potential improvements to existing educational technology. Specifically, we provide an interface for the classification of underlying Knowledge Components (KCs) to better model student…

Classroom experiments that evaluate the effectiveness of educational technologies do not typically examine the effects of classroom contextual variables (e.g., out-of-software help-giving and external distractions). Yet these variables may influence students' instructional outcomes. In this paper, we introduce the Spatial Classroom Log Explorer…

Many national policy documents underscore the importance of 21st century skills, including critical thinking. In parallel, recent American frameworks for K-12 Science education call for the development of critical thinking skills in science, also referred to as science inquiry skills/practices. Assessment of these skills is necessary, as indicated…

Students conducted inquiry using simulations within a rich learning environment for 4 science topics. By applying educational data mining to students' log data, assessment metrics were generated for two key inquiry skills, testing stated hypotheses and designing controlled experiments. Three models were then developed to analyze the transfer of…