October 2024 - EduTec Science

Oct232024 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

New Pub: How Can Learning Analytics Dashboards Help Improve Students’ Self-Regulated Learning?

Conference, Empirical Study, Learning Analytics, Publication, School, Self-Regulation

Learning Analytics Dashboards (LADs) are important and widely-used tools used to give feedback to students and to aid them in their self-regulating learning process. Much has been done to investigate the design of LADs, but there is still a lack of knowledge regarding how students interpret the information shown on LADs and how they actually use these tools while learning. In a newly published study, we try to fill this gap. In an experimental study, we compared two groups of students. One group was given personalized self-regulared learning (SRL) feedback on their interactions and learning advances. The control group was only given minimal feedback calculated from the average class scores. After reviewing their feedback, students submitted written reflections on how they would adjust their study behavior. The researchers then analyzed…

Oct222024 by Daniele Di MitriNo Comments

HyTea Project Meeting with BMBF: A Day of Insight and Collaboration

Project meeting

On October 22nd, 2024, the HyTea project team gathered on the 12th floor of DIPF for a pivotal meeting with representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The agenda was packed with insightful presentations, discussions, and collaborative planning, all aimed at advancing the project's goals. The formal proceedings started with a warm welcome by project leader Daniele Di Mitri and the presentation of engaging trailers of the prototypes developed for the HyTea project. The two prototypes are systems (AI tutors) that can be used to train presentation skills. After that, Jan Schneider took the stage to show the starting point of the HyTea project: the Presentation Trainer. His presentation offered valuable insights into the project's training components, emphasising innovative approaches and research gaps. The doctoral candidates Nina…

Oct172024 by Dana KubeNo Comments

Girls and Women in STEM Forum of the European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT)

Artificial Intelligence, Award, Conference, Digitalisation, Event, Transfer Activity

Our Co-Worker Dana Kube was selected to be a jury member of this year's Girls and Women in STEM Award of the European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT) in Budapest. Read her report: I'm still buzzing with the energy from the Women and Girls in STEM Forum 2024! It was an inspiring day filled with conversations on AI, inclusion, and the future of STEM with girls and women from all over Europe. The keynote speakers, Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen and Ilaria Tagliavini, emphasised the urgent need for more women to lead the next generation of scientists in Europe, highlighting the European Commission’s commitment to this mission through strategic plans for STEM education. Ilaria celebrated Girls Go Circular’s expansion to 32 countries, recognising the need for a mindset shift towards greater…

Oct142024 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

New Pub: Conceptual Map Assessment Through Structure Classification

Assessment, Conference, Feedback, Publication, School

In educational settings concept maps are often chosen as a tool to help knowledge constructions be visualized. While mapping out concepts and their relationships, students are able to show how well (or not well) they understand certain subjects. A newly published study, which was presented at the AIED 2024 in Recife, Brazil, takes their usage a step further, examining the structural patterns in concept maps and developing an automated system to classify them. The researchers categorized 511 different concept maps into three key structures: spoke, network and chain. Each structure type can provide its own insight about the deepness of students’ understanding. For example, a "spoke" structure may indicate a surface-level understanding, while a "network" might reflect a more complex comprehension. The researchers trained multiclass classification models using statistical data…

Oct92024 by Daniele Di MitriNo Comments

Exploring Complexity in Human Learning at the Johanna Quandt Young Academy School

Feedback, Invited talk

On Monday, 7th October 2024, Dr. Daniele Di Mitri had the pleasure of presenting at the Johanna Quandt Young Academy School, held at the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften in Bad Homburg. This event was a fantastic opportunity to delve into the intricate topic of "Complexity in Human Learning" alongside Dr. Elena Galeano Weber. Dr. Di Mitri's segment of the presentation focused on "Supporting Learning with AI through Feedback." He explored the multifaceted nature of complexity in human learning and discussed the critical aspects to consider when designing meaningful AI-automated feedback. The goal was to highlight how AI can be leveraged to enhance learning experiences by providing timely and relevant feedback, thus supporting learners in navigating complex educational landscapes. Understanding complexity in human learning is crucial for developing effective educational tools and strategies.…

Oct72024 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

New Pub: Learning At and From a Virtual Conference

Higher Education, Journal, New Pub

In light of the COVID pandemic and the climate crisis, many academic conferences have switched from face-to-face to virtual or hybrid conferences. The advantages of completely virtual conferences are clear. The organizers don’t need to look for physical rooms to book or need to organize food or drinks for participants. For the participants, this form of conferences can also be advantageous because there are no travel expenses and no travel time. Those participating from other countries can even take part in the conference despite being in different time zones or continents. The advantages go hand in hand with the disadvantages of limited personal interaction: no scientific (or leisurely) discussions during a coffee break or a chance to get to know fellow researchers seated nearby before a session begins. With all…

Oct22024 by Jane YauNo Comments

GREAT Project at the Science Festival Frankfurt

Event, Promotion activity

GREAT project manager, Dr. Jane Yau, was at the Science Festival Frankfurt on 28.9.2024. This Science Festival was the first one that took place in Frankfurt and was located at Rossmarkt at the city centre. The festival had a multi-faceted program with 16 stands with experiments, workshops and exciting entertainment, plus discussions, talks and rap on the main stage. As part of the GREAT (Games Realising Effective and Affective Transformation, www.greatproject.gg) project, Jane had the pleasure of being there to showcase the new Play2Act: Gaming for Climate and Nature Survey, made in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program. Jane talked to several citizens who expressed their interests and concerns for the climate emergency and wishing to participate and do more. A number of participants also filled in the survey, which…

Oct12024 by Daniele Di MitriNo Comments

EduTec consults the Federal Ministry of Education on upcoming research funding lines

School, Workshop

[caption id="attachment_6986" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The building of the Ministry of Education in Berlin where the meeting took place.[/caption] On the 27th of September, DIPF researcher and EduTec member Dr Daniele Di Mitri was invited to attend a high-level expert consultation. This consultation, set up by the German Federal Ministry of Education (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung - BMBF) in collaboration with the project entity German Space Agency (DLR), aimed to gather experts' opinions on the upcoming research funding line for studying the impact of Artificial Intelligence in schools. Dr Di Mitri's participation in this collaborative event, alongside other experts, reflects the inclusive nature of the discussion on AI in education. The upcoming call for project funding aims to support research projects that research more profound into the pedagogical, didactical,…