ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Cognitive Tracing: Towards Unified Discovery of Student and Cognitive Models
Author: Gonzalez-Brenes, Jose P.
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Intelligent Tutoring Systems,Academic Achievement,Bayesian Statistics,Tutors,Tutoring,Evaluation,Markov Processes,Prediction,Probability

This work describes a unified approach to two problems previously addressed separately in Intelligent Tutoring Systems: (i) Cognitive Modeling, which factorizes problem solving steps into the latent set of skills required to perform them; and (ii) Student Modeling, which infers students' learning by observing student performance. The practical importance of improving understanding of how students learn is to build better intelligent tutors. The expected advantages of our integrated approach include (i) more accurate prediction of a student's future performance, and (ii) clustering items into skills automatically, without expensive manual expert knowledge annotation. We introduce a unified model, Dynamic Cognitive Tracing, to explain student learning in terms of skill mastery over time, by learning the Cognitive Model and the Student Model jointly. We formulate our approach as a graphical model, and we validate it using sixty different synthetic datasets. Dynamic Cognitive Tracing significantly outperforms single-skill Knowledge Tracing on predicting future student performance. (Contains 9 figures and 3 tables.) [Partial support for this research was provided by the Costa Rican Ministry of Science and Technology (MICIT). For the complete proceedings, "Proceedings of the International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM) (5th, Chania, Greece, June 19-21, 2012)," see ED537074.]
Searching for Variables and Models to Investigate Mediators of Learning from Multiple Representations
Author: Rau, Martina A.
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Experiments,Mathematics,Comparative Analysis,Outcomes of Education,Intelligent Tutoring Systems,Intervention,Problem Solving,Pretests Posttests,Path Analysis,Mathematics Instruction

Although learning from multiple representations has been shown to be effective in a variety of domains, little is known about the mechanisms by which it occurs. We analyzed log data on error-rate, hint-use, and time-spent obtained from two experiments with a Cognitive Tutor for fractions. The goal of the experiments was to compare learning from multiple graphical representations of fractions to learning from a single graphical representation. Finding that a simple statistical model did not fit data from either experiment, we searched over all possible mediation models consistent with background knowledge, finding several that fit the data well. We also searched over alternative measures of student error-rate, hint-use, and time-spent to see if our data were better modeled with simple monotonic or u-shaped non-monotonic relationships. We found no evidence for non-monotonicity. No matter what measures we used, time-spent was irrelevant, and hint-use was only occasionally relevant. Although the total effect of multiple representations on learning was positive, they also had a negative effect on learning, mediated by a higher error-rate. Our evidence suggests that multiple representations increase error-rate, which in turn inhibits learning. The mechanisms by which multiple representations improve learning are as yet unmodeled. (Contains 3 figures, 5 tables, and 10 footnotes.) [For the complete proceedings, &quot;Proceedings of the International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM) (5th, Chania, Greece, June 19-21, 2012),&quot; see ED537074.]
Automated Discovery of Speech Act Categories in Educational Games
Author: Rus, Vasile
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Educational Games,Feedback (Response),Classification,Expertise,Speech Acts,Experiments,Natural Language Processing,Mentors,Intelligent Tutoring Systems,Tutoring,Prediction,Data

In this paper we address the important task of automated discovery of speech act categories in dialogue-based, multi-party educational games. Speech acts are important in dialogue-based educational systems because they help infer the student speaker's intentions (the task of speech act classification) which in turn is crucial to providing adequate feedback and scaffolding. A key step in the speech act classification task is defining the speech act categories in an underlying speech act taxonomy. Most research to date has relied on taxonomies which are guided by experts' intuitions, which we refer to as an extrinsic design of the speech act taxonomies. A pure data-driven approach would discover the natural groupings of dialogue utterances and therefore reveal the intrinsic speech act categories. To this end, this paper presents a fully-automated data-driven method to discover speech act taxonomies based on utterance clustering. Experiments were conducted on three datasets from three online educational games. This work is a step towards building speech act taxonomies based on both extrinsic (expert-driven) and intrinsic aspects (data-driven) of the target domain. (Contains 5 tables and 1 footnote.) [For the complete proceedings, "Proceedings of the International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM) (5th, Chania, Greece, June 19-21, 2012)," see ED537074.]
Towards Sensor-Free Affect Detection in Cognitive Tutor Algebra
Author: Baker, Ryan S. J. d.
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Algebra,Tutors,Computer Software,Prediction,Probability,Evaluation,Mathematics,Data,Tutoring

In recent years, the usefulness of affect detection for educational software has become clear. Accurate detection of student affect can support a wide range of interventions with the potential to improve student affect, increase engagement, and improve learning. In addition, accurate detection of student affect could play an essential role in research attempting to understand the root causes and impacts of different forms of affect. However, current approaches to affect detection have largely relied upon sensor systems, which are expensive and typically not physically robust to classroom conditions, reducing their potential real-world impact. Work towards sensor-free affect detection has produced detectors that are better than chance, but not substantially better--especially when subject to stringent cross-validation processes. In this paper we present models which can detect student engaged concentration, confusion, frustration, and boredom solely from students' interactions within a Cognitive Tutor for Algebra. These detectors are designed to operate solely on the information available through students' semantic actions within the interface, making these detectors applicable both for driving interventions and for labeling existing log files in the PSLC DataShop, facilitating future discovery with models analyses at scale. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.) [For the complete proceedings, "Proceedings of the International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM) (5th, Chania, Greece, June 19-21, 2012)," see ED537074.]
Learner Differences in Hint Processing
Author: Goldin, Ilya M.
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Performance Factors,Intelligent Tutoring Systems,Individual Differences,Prediction,Probability,Regression (Statistics),Geometry,Bayesian Statistics,Item Response Theory,Correlation,Problem Solving

Although ITSs are supposed to adapt to differences among learners, so far, little attention has been paid to how they might adapt to differences in how students learn from help. When students study with an Intelligent Tutoring System, they may receive multiple types of help, but may not comprehend and make use of this help in the same way. To measure the extent of such individual differences, we propose two new logistic regression models, ProfHelp and ProfHelp-ID. Both models extend the Performance Factors Analysis model (Pavlik, Cen & Koedinger, 2009) with parameters that represent the effect of hints on performance on the same step on which the help was given. Both models adjust for general student proficiency, prior practice on knowledge components, and knowledge component difficulty. Multilevel Bayesian implementations of these models were fit to data on student interactions with a geometry ITS, where students received on-demand problem-relevant help ranging from first-level hints that facilitate application of principles to specific and immediately actionable bottom-out hints. The model comparison showed that in this dataset students differ in their individual hint-processing proficiency and these differences depend on hint levels. These results suggest that we can assess specific learning skills, e.g., making sense of instructional text, and in future work we may be able to remediate and improve such skills. (Contains 2 figures, 4 tables, and 5 footnotes.) [For the complete proceedings, "Proceedings of the International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM) (5th, Chania, Greece, June 19-21, 2012)," see ED537074.]
Comparison of Methods to Trace Multiple Subskills: Is LR-DBN Best?
Author: Xu, Yanbo
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Teaching Methods,Comparative Analysis,Prediction,Mathematics,Algebra,Tutors,Regression (Statistics),Bayesian Statistics,Probability,Models

A long-standing challenge for knowledge tracing is how to update estimates of multiple subskills that underlie a single observable step. We characterize approaches to this problem by how they model knowledge tracing, fit its parameters, predict performance, and update subskill estimates. Previous methods allocated blame or credit among subskills in various ways based on strong assumptions about their relation to observed performance. LR-DBN relaxes these assumptions by using logistic regression in a Dynamic Bayes Net. LR-DBN significantly outperforms previous methods on data sets from reading and algebra tutors in terms of predictive accuracy on unseen data, cutting the error rate by half. An ablation experiment shows that using logistic regression to predict performance helps, but that using it to jointly estimate subskills explains most of this dramatic improvement. An implementation of LR-DBN is now publicly available in the BNT-SM student modeling toolkit. Instruction to use LR-DBN in BNT-SM is appended. (Contains 2 figures, 7 tables, and 2 footnotes.) [For the complete proceedings, "Proceedings of the International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM) (5th, Channa, Greece, June 19-21, 2012)," see ED537074.]
Methods to Find the Number of Latent Skills
Author: Beheshti, Behzad
Date: 2012-06-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Prediction,Evaluation,Algebra,Mathematics,Data,Simulation,Equations (Mathematics),Models,Experiments

Identifying the skills that determine the success or failure to exercises and question items is a difficult task. Multiple skills may be involved at various degree of importance, and skills may overlap and correlate. In an effort towards the goal of finding the skills behind a set of items, we investigate two techniques to determine the number of dominant latent skills. The Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) is a known technique to find latent factors. The singular values represent direct evidence of the strength of latent factors. Application of SVD to finding the number of latent skills is explored. We introduce a second technique based on a "wrapper" approach. Linear models with different number of skills are built, and the one that yields the best prediction accuracy through cross validation is considered the most appropriate. The results show that both techniques are effective in identifying the latent factors over synthetic data. An investigation with real data from the fraction algebra domain is also reported. Both the SVD and "wrapper" methods yield results that have no simple interpretation. (Contains 6 figures and 3 footnotes.) [This project was supported by funding from the MATI institute and by Canada's NSERC discovery program. For the complete proceedings, "Proceedings of the International Conference on Educational Data Mining (EDM) (5th, Chania, Greece, June 19-21, 2012)," see ED537074.]
Building Collaboration through Project-Based Theater Design
Author: Basarab, Heather
Date: 2012-12-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Theater Arts,Cooperation,Theaters,Public Schools,High Schools,High School Students,Interpersonal Competence,Problem Solving,Creativity,Active Learning,Student Projects,Qualitative Research,Design,Focus Groups

With the economic collapse of 2008, there has been a dramatic increase in government emphasis on the value of science and technology-based study in the nation's high schools as a means for the United States to remain competitive in the world economic market.  Financial, political and societal support for the hard sciences, coupled with ever-tightening budget restrictions for education, have contributed to the devaluing, underfunding, and elimination of the performing arts as a viable and valued academic pursuit (Whitman, 2011).   The arts play an important role in secondary school education, developing a broad range of widely applicable social and organizational skills that strengthen a student's ability to pursue any course of study, while fulfilling the recent emphasis on 21st century skills. This study documents a theater design curriculum and the experiences of a sample group of students who have completed two to four years enrolled in this project-based performing arts program in a Northern California public secondary school. The literature supports the theory that the 21st century skills of creative problem solving and collaboration, crucial to success in today's global society, are effectively developed through project-based arts curricula. High school students in a theater arts class were asked to reflect upon their experiences in a theatrical design process. Findings indicate that students developed and refined a method for collaboration and could articulate that process in a discussion about their experience.
Executive Functions Development and Playing Games
Author: Petty, Ana Lucia
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Games,Cognitive Development,Cognitive Processes,Play,Disabilities,Children,Child Development,Skill Development,Neurological Organization,Problem Solving,Program Effectiveness,Intervention,Foreign Countries

The aim of this paper is to discuss executive functions and playing games, considering Piaget's work (1967) and the neuropsychological framework (Barkley, 1997, 2000; Cypel, 2007). Two questions guide the discussion: What are the intersections between playing games and the development of executive functions? Can we stimulate children with learning disabilities to build up skills related to executive functioning in a context of games and problem-solving situations? For the last 22 years, researchers from the Institute of Psychology, University of Sao Paulo have been studying children and proposing situations, in which they play games with rules, solve problems, and interact with others (Macedo, Petty &amp; Passos, 1997, 2000, 2005; Souza, Petty, Carvalho, Passos, &amp; Carracedo, 2002). Groups of children from 7 to 11 years old are supervised by professionals who challenge them to develop reasoning and autonomy, which also contribute to develop executive functions. The main point of the project is not to become a good player, but build up skills to surpass difficulties, such as attention, organization, and planning. Participants who were engaged, and did not have serious neurological damages in brain functioning, really became students with better resources to deal with school challenges and they developed more adequate attitudes.
Engaged Partners: The Achieving the Dream Partnership. Principles for Effective Education Grantmaking. Case Study Number 6
Author: Clayton, Tonika Cheek
Date: 2008-01-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Stakeholders,Community Colleges,Private Financial Support,Academic Achievement,Grants,Program Effectiveness,Two Year College Students,Educational Finance,Financial Support,Social Change,Cooperation,Governance,Decision Making,Philanthropic Foundations,Partnerships in Education

Confronting two unhealthy approaches that surface frequently in philanthropy--the tendency for grantmakers to think they alone have all the answers and the tensions that arise when national and local funders try to work together--this case study is intended to help grantmakers think more deeply about the concept of "engaged partners," one of Grantmakers for Education's Principles for Effective Education Grantmaking. The case study focuses on the decisions made by Achieving the Dream's creators to build a sustainable model in which a broad and diverse range of stakeholders--including funders--take ownership of the problem of poor student success rates in community colleges and work collaboratively to influence changes in states and communities across the country. It illustrates the virtues--and some pitfalls--of engaging stakeholders with different agendas and missions to work together on a common problem and find common solutions. In doing so, the case study suggests ways a funder can garner support and commitment from other stakeholders and funders, and it challenges grantmakers to consider their assumptions about how social changes happen and are sustained. (Contains 5 exhibits and 5 footnotes.) [Additional funding for this paper was provided by the Goldman Sachs Foundation. For "Engaged Partners: The Achieving the Dream Partnership. Principles for Effective Education Grantmaking. Case in Brief Number 6," see ED537213.]
Engaged Partners: The Achieving the Dream Partnership. Principles for Effective Education Grantmaking. Case in Brief Number 6
Author: Grantmakers for Education
Date: 2012-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Academic Achievement,Stakeholders,Partnerships in Education,Social Change,Community Colleges,Educational Finance,Financial Support,Philanthropic Foundations,Cooperation,Governance,Decision Making

"Engaged Partners" focuses on the decisions made by the creators of the Achieving the Dream initiative to build a broad and diverse range of stakeholders--including funders--who would take ownership of the problem of poor student success rates in community colleges. The case study illustrates the virtues--and some pitfalls--of encouraging stakeholders with different agendas and missions to work together on a common problem and find common solutions. In doing so, the case study is intended to help grantmakers think more deeply about the concept of engaged partners, one of Grantmakers for Education's Principles for Effective Education Grantmaking. [For the full report, "Engaged Partners: The Achieving the Dream Partnership. Principles for Effective Education Grantmaking. Case Study Number 6," see ED537212.]
Strengthening Grantee Effectiveness: The Hyde Family Foundations. Principles for Effective Education Grantmaking. Case Study Number 7
Author: Cheng, Tiffany K.
Date: 2008-08-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Stakeholders,Quality of Life,Leadership,Nonprofit Organizations,Technical Assistance,Educational Change,Human Capital,Elementary Secondary Education,Grants,Program Effectiveness,Barriers,Urban Areas,Social Networks,Goal Orientation,Expectation,Charter Schools,Educational Quality,Academic Standards,College Readiness,Principals,Teacher Recruitment,Disproportionate Representation

Operated as a pair of philanthropic funds, the Hyde Family Foundations works to improve the quality of life in Memphis. In order to counteract persistent socioeconomic and racial barriers and improve opportunities for underserved families in Memphis, the foundations have made improving the city's education system a priority of its grantmaking. Each year, the foundations award grants totaling over $10 million; of this amount, $4 million is designated to K-12 education initiatives. Hyde and Sloyan hoped the foundations' grantmaking would, over time, spur improvements that could demonstrate what is possible in a city that shares many of the political, social and economic challenges of other large, urban communities. Recognizing that a grantmaker is effective only when its grantees are effective, this case study is intended to help funders consider ways of promoting &quot;effective grantees,&quot; one of Grantmakers for Education's Principles for Effective Education Grantmaking. The case study illustrates a number of practices--including the importance of ensuring strong leadership at grantee organizations, brokering relationships between grantee organizations and donor and civic leaders, providing technical assistance, convening community stakeholders to support grantees, creating learning communities to link and network grantees, and setting clearly defined goals and performance expectations for grantees--that can support and build the capacity of grantees and lead to greater impact. In addition, it underscores the importance of human capital, talent and leadership to grantee success, whether the grantee is a nonprofit organization or a publicly funded school or institution. (Contains 7 exhibits and 8 footnotes.)
Persistence and Agility: The Rodel Foundation of Delaware's Efforts to Transform Delaware's Education System. Principles for Effective Education Grantmaking. Case Study Number 8
Author: Alvord, Sarah
Date: 2012-10-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Persistence,Competition,Educational Change,Public Education,Educational Objectives,Goal Orientation,Case Studies,Leadership,Program Implementation,Politics of Education,Grants,Early Childhood Education,Teacher Effectiveness,Principals,Empowerment,Educational Innovation,Family Involvement,Educational Finance,Educational Resources,Academic Achievement

It was 8:45 a.m. on Monday, March 29, 2010, when Paul Herdman got the stunning news. Just two states had won first-round grants in the Race to the Top competition, the largest federal competition of its kind in American history, out of 40 state applicants. Herdman joined the Rodel Foundation of Delaware (Rodel) as President and CEO in 2004. The six years that followed were productive, exhilarating, draining and tumultuous for him and his team. From the start, he'd recognized that fulfilling the Foundation's mission of having &quot;one of the finest public school systems in the nation by 2012&quot; would be nearly impossible without a strategy that could shake up a lot of vested interests and modernize stagnant, entrenched policies and practices across the state. But Herdman, bolstered by the continued support of his board of directors, built a comprehensive strategy to redesign public education statewide. Called Vision 2015, the plan detailed 45 recommendations in six critical policy areas; it was built on data examining Delaware's $1.6 billion education system and crafted by a 28-member steering committee. This case study examining the work of the Rodel Foundation of Delaware provides insight into the strategies and scope of involvement required for pursuing systemic educational reform at the state level. It also provides an in-depth look at the role Rodel and its staff played in bringing about change for Delaware, as well as the unique chain of events that led the state to develop the top-ranking proposal for RTTT funds, securing $119 million for Delaware's reform efforts. The chronology of events and the supporting details tell a story of success made possible by persistence and agility. These traits, combined with leadership and resources, laid the groundwork for effective strategies over the course of six years. (Contains 2 exhibits and 1 footnote.)