Heather Wehner, Author at EduTec Science

Mar202024 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

Didacta Presentation in Cologne: Key Questions to Find Fitting AI Solutions For Student Feedback

Artificial Intelligence, Feedback, General education, Invited talk, School

What are the goals of AI in education for student feedback? How can teachers make sure that their AI-assisted feedback goes beyond simple right/wrong statements and instead provides not only correct solutions, but also possibilities for improvement, hints on competence development and effective learning strategies? To find a fitting AI solution, there are key questions one should know to ask in advance. These questions were outlined by Hendrik Drachsler in his presentation at the didacta 2024 in Cologne on 20.02.2024 titled “Ihr KI-Anbieter-Test - 3 Schlüsselfragen die Sie kennen sollten.” The key questions: Question 1: What indicators does your AI product use to analyze learning outcomes? --> Look for AI products that provide relevant indicators for measuring learning progress and skills acquisition. These indicators are important to accurately assess learning…

Mar192024 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

Podcast “Sitzenbleiben” About AI in Education

Artificial Intelligence, General education, School

In a special edition of the DIPF podcast "Sitzenbleiben", Kai Maaz (Executive Director of DIPF) and Hendrik Drachsler discuss the potentials and hurdles of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into education. The conversation surrounding AI's capabilities and constraints has been rapidly gaining traction. Especially the emergence of large language models like ChatGPT has revolutionized the text creation process, which showcase the vast opportunities that AI technologies can bring to the education sector. Questions abound regarding AI's impact on education: How can AI impact tasks such as homework or exams? How can AI enrich lessons? Which data protection issues need to be considered? How can students and educators receive adequate support in navigating AI's integration into learning environments? These questions serve as focal points which are examined in this newly available podcast…

Mar192024 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

Celebrating Ioana Jivet’s New Adventure at Catalpa: A Farewell and Congratulations

Alumni, Team

In the midst of our busy lives between scholarly discourse and the clatter of keyboards, there are moments that stand out, moments of transition and reflection. In this blog post today, we bid farewell to a cherished colleague, Dr. Ioana Jivet, as she embarks on a new chapter of her journey as a Professor at CATALPA - Center of Advanced Technology for Assisted Learning and Predictive Analytics at the FernUniversität in Hagen. For nearly a decade, Ioana has been an integral part of our team, bringing not only her expertise but also her warmth and dedication. As analytics scientists we like diving into the numbers: from the start of Ioana’s time with us on June 1, 2021, until her your new start at CATALPA on March 1st, 2024, we've had…

Mar152024 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

New Pub: AI program doesn’t make kids better at math, but it makes them more independent

Assessment, Journal, Publication, School

Students who receive math tutoring from an artificial intelligence (AI) program perform no better than students who are taught by a "real" teacher. These students do, however, need less help learning. This is the conclusion of Rashmi Khazanchi from the Open University of the Netherlands together with Hendrik Drachsler and Daniele Di Mitri. Math Lessons with AI The researchers examined the effectiveness of the Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) tutoring program, called Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS). Previous studies have shown that students learn math better using software than traditional teaching methods. Previous studies on ALEKS have also shown that, thanks to this program, students memorize more knowledge, perform better, experience more engagement in mathematics and drop out less. The advantage of an ITS like ALEKS is that it…

Jan312024 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

SWK-Talk: Large Language Models and their potential in the education system

Artificial Intelligence, Event, School

In the SWK Talk Special "Large Language Models and their potential in the education system" on 18.01.2024, the SWK (Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs) presented its impulse paper on Large Language Models. For the impulse paper, the SWK consulted external experts, including members of the EduTec Team, on teaching and learning with AI and LLM. The aim was to contribute to the current debate on the potential of LLM in the education system. The key conclusion is that the German education system currently faces the task of trying to utilize the potentials of generative AI technologies such as LLM, while at the same time recognizing their limitations and finding a way to responsibly deal with their restrictions. The paper also emphasizes the importance of a…

Dec212023 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

2023 in a Nutshell: A year of unbridled discovery, innovation, and collaboration, and a little help of AI.

Team

What made this year special? Is it possible to reduce this year to just a few essential words? With all the people in our group, the many projects we worked on, the many publications we have written, and the events we have participated in, a lot has happened in 2023. Let’s take a closer look at some of the highlights: Projects and Conferences At EduTec.science, just like every year, we're committed to enhancing our understanding of education and exploring the potential impact of technology interventions. Our primary focus is on executing research projects, collecting solid data sets, conducting rigorous analysis of the effects of technology on learning and teaching, and publishing our results in accordance with the highest quality standards. The significant advancements in generative AI and the transformative…

Dec72023 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

Exciting New BildungPLUS Podcast: Learning Analytics in the Age of AI

Artificial Intelligence, Learning Analytics

The studiumdigitale Podcast BildungPLUS invites listeners on a riveting journey into the dynamic world of educational research in the new episode titled “Learning Analytics in the Age of AI”. Prof. Dr. Hendrik Drachsler, Prof. Dr. Bart Rienties and Dr. Eyal Rabin unveil their recent experiences in Learning Analytics, sharing firsthand accounts of breakthroughs and challenges. With a keen focus on AI, the episode delves into anticipations surrounding artificial intelligence's transformative role in shaping personalized learning experiences. Stay tuned for a brief but insightful exploration of the future of education through the lens of Learning Analytics research and innovative AI applications. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5MMqdLhJoJcnwy9jSFDIN2?si=0d64ada4b61e4017&nd=1&dlsi=44dc68d0ceb445fa

Dec12023 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

New pub: Measuring Efficacy of ALEKS as a Supportive Instructional Tool in K-12 Math Classroom with Underachieving Students

Assessment, Journal, New Pub, Publication, School

In a recent quasi-experimental research study, the effectiveness of Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS), an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS), took center stage in the realm of 8th-grade mathematics education. The study aimed to determine whether ALEKS could bring a statistically significant improvement in students' mathematics achievement compared to traditional teacher-led instructions. The research involved 158 8th-grade students categorized as 'underachieving students, with 60 in the teacher-led group and 98 in the ALEKS-led group. The study used a non-randomized approach to compare the outcomes of teacher-led instructions to ALEKS-led instructions over two consecutive years. In the first year McGraw's curriculum "Reveal" was used exclusively without ALEKS. In the second year ALEKS was incorporated as a supplemental tool in a math support class. The study incorporated a rigorous methodology, utilizing…

Sep122023 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

New pub: Why You Should Give Your Students Automatic Process Feedback on Their Collaboration

Computer-supported collaborative learning, Conference, Feedback, Higher Education, Journal, Learning Analytics

In the ever-changing landscape of education, innovation is the key to ensuring that every student has access to quality learning experiences. A transformative approach is Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL), in which enables students to harness the power of teamwork to achieve learning outcomes that often exceed those they could reach individually. One of the strengths of CSCL is that it can give participant feedback on the quality of their collaborative work. This feedback not only aids individual growth but also enhances the group's overall dynamic. Traditionally, providing such feedback was a manual and time-intensive task, making it impractical for larger classes or scalable education programs. That's where this newly published paper comes into play. CSCL The paper “Why You Should Give Your Students Automatic Process Feedback on Their Collaboration: Evidence…

Jul122023 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

Job advert: two student assistant openings in HyTea project

Job announcements, Project

In the context of the HyTea project we are looking for two student assistants to join the EduTec team for approximately 40 to 80 hours per month for initially 12 months. You can also check the position description on the DIPF website. [pdf-embedder url="https://edutec.science/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Hiwi-IZB-2023-07_EduTec-HyTea_EN.pdf" title="Hiwi-IZB 2023-07_EduTec-HyTea_EN"]