Artificial Intelligence Archives - Page 3 of 8

Sep142024 by Prof. Dr. Hendrik DrachslerNo Comments

HILA goes to school – Keynote at ISDT24, Linnaeus University, Sweden

Artificial Intelligence, Conference, Feedback, Keynote, Learning Analytics, School

What happens when Highly-Informative Learning Analytics (HILA) goes to school? That’s exactly what Hendrik Drachsler explored during his keynote at the 3rd International Symposium on Digital Transformation (ISDT24) in Linnaeus University Växjö, Sweden. His talk highlighted the impact of the AFLEK project, a transformative initiative under the HILA research program, which focuses on improving learning outcomes in secondary schools through actionable data and AI-driven tools. The keynote wasn't just about theoretical advances; it presented real-world applications that are actively shaping how secondary education functions today. Through three key publications, Drachsler demonstrated how the integration of Data-Enriched Learning Activities (DeLA), teacher dashboards, and empirical research has paved the way for improved teaching practices and measurable student success. Let’s dive into what happens when HILA meets the classroom. Key Highlights from Hendrik…

Sep42024 by Prof. Dr. Hendrik DrachslerNo Comments

Keynote at #LearningAID24, Bochum Germany

Artificial Intelligence, Conference, Event, Higher Education, Keynote, Learning Analytics, Learning Design

At the recent #LearningAID24 conference in Bochum, Germany, Hendrik Drachsler delivered a keynote that challenged conventional perspectives on Learning Analytics and AI in education. He opened the discussion by examining the often ambiguous boundary between Learning Analytics and AI in education, posing a thought-provoking question: are these two areas truly distinct, or do they converge into one shared domain? Beyond theoretical discussions, Hendrik presented early empirical findings from the research program on Highly-Informative Learning Analytics (HILA), advocating for a more evidence-based approach to integrating Learning Analytics and AI into education. The goal, he argued, should be to ensure that these technologies effectively meet the informational needs of learners, providing meaningful and actionable insights. He framed the 2nd conference day around the theme: INFORMED PRECISION - This concept captures the need…

Jul182024 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

New Pub: Revolutionizing Essay Scoring with Hierarchical Rater Models

Artificial Intelligence, Assessment, Higher Education, Journal, New Pub

For a special issue on Natural Language Processing in Psychology we proposed a hierarchical rater model-based approach to address the challenges in automatic essay scoring. Essay writing tests are an integral part of educational systems, essential for assessing students' critical thinking, articulation and understanding. Since the manual scoring process requires significant resources and time, teachers are beginning to use Automated Essay Scoring (AES), which is potentially capable of alleviating the manual effort involved. #AutomatedEssayScoring #NaturalLanguageProcessing #FormativeAssessment #EducationalTechnology #MachineLearning #AIinEducation #HierarchicalRaterModel #EdTech #ScoringAutomation #AI #AssessmentTools #MeasurementInvariance #TransformerModels #EducationResearch #UniversityTesting #AIModels #TechInEducation There are an abundance of available models and each one has its own unique features and scoring methods. Thus, selecting the optimal model is complex and challenging, especially when different aspects of content have to be assessed over a number…

Jul122024 by Prof. Dr. Hendrik DrachslerNo Comments

Advancing Automated Analysis of Concept Maps at AIED24

Artificial Intelligence, Feedback, Higher Education, Learning Analytics, Publication, School, Workshop, Workshop

The 25th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2024), held from July 8-12 in Recife, Brazil, was a significant event for the Highly Informative Learning Analytics Research Programme. This year marked the first Brazilian-German cooperation in this field, supported by the Alexander Humboldt Foundation, the DIPF in Frankfurt and IPN in Kiel under the ALICE project. Two workshop papers presented at the conference showcased innovative approaches to automatically analyze concept maps, promising to automate the way educators assess and understand the student-created context. #AIED24 #LearningAnalytics #ConceptMaps #AIinEducation #EducationalTechnology #MachineLearning #CulturalDiversity #RealTimeFeedback #EdTech #AI #Education #CrossCulturalCollaboration Paper 1: The Influence of Diverse Educational Contexts on Concept Map Structures Authors: Laís P. Van Vossen, Isabela Gasparini, Elaine H. T. Oliveira, Berrit Czinczel, Ute Harms, Lukas Menzel, Sebastian Gombert, Knut Neumann,…

Jul22024 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

New pub: Potentials and Challenges of Generative AI in Instruction and Research on Instruction

Artificial Intelligence, Feedback, General education, Journal, New Pub, School

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming such a part of our daily lives that soon it will be almost impossible to imagine life without it. Especially since the emergence of ChatGPT and other Large Language Models, endless new possibilities have arisen for the usage of AI in many areas, especially in educational settings. Currently, the effective use of AI in education, both in teaching and learning, remains largely undefined, as do its limitations. We are also missing clarity regarding the potential benefits of AI for instructional research and the ethical boundaries of its use in this field. The opportunities and challenges associated with integrating AI into educational practices and research are explored in a newly published article from Hendrik Drachsler, Knut Neumann and Jochen Kuhn. In their paper they identify specific…

Jul12024 by Sebastian GombertNo Comments

New pub: Predicting Item Difficulty and Item Response Time with Scalar-mixed Transformer Encoder Models and Rational Network Regression Heads

Artificial Intelligence, Assessment, Computational Psychometrics, Conference, Higher Education, Publication, Workshop

In a contribution to the BEA 2024 Shared Task, we addressed the challenge of predicting the difficulty and response time of multiple-choice questions from the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®). This exam is an important assessment for medical professionals. To predict these variables, we evaluated various BERT-like pre-trained transformer models. We combined these models with Scalar Mixing and two custom 2-layer classification heads, using learnable Rational Activations as the activation function. This multi-task setup allowed us to predict both item difficulty and response time. The results were noteworthy. Our models placed first out of 43 participants in predicting item difficulty and fifth out of 34 participants in predicting item response time. This demonstrates the potential of advanced AI techniques in improving the evaluation processes of critical exams like the…

May132024 by Sebastian WollnyNo Comments

Dr. Diana Gayol Visits the EduTec Team

Artificial Intelligence, Higher Education, Transfer Activity

Last week we had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Diana Gayol, Director of Diploma in Didactics and Pedagogy in Health Areas at the Faculty of Medicine of the Fundación Barceló in Buenos Aires (Argentina), to DIPF. Dr. Gayol's research focuses on psychological studies of Argentinean students and shows parallels with various activities of the TBA Center. On her research trip, she was able to make a stop at Campus Westend, where she was particularly interested in an exchange about future AI applications in argentinian education with Sebastian Wollny and Sebastian Gombert. Collaborative Discussions During her visit, Dr. Gayol engaged in dynamic discussions with our researchers. We explored topics ranging from personalized learning through Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) to Chatbots and AI-driven analytics. Dr. Gayol emphasized the importance of bridging the…

May102024 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

Recap of the MODUS conference in Karlsruhe

Artificial Intelligence, Conference, Higher Education

As the echoes of insightful discussions and the energy of networking gradually settle, it's time to revisit the highlights of the German Rectors’ MODUS Conference which took place an April 10th and 11th 2024 in Karlsruhe. The conference titled “Recognition Culture in Higher Education. International Perspectives on Lifelong Learning and Student Mobility” brought together around 200 experts and interested parties from universities and research institutions, including Hendrik Drachsler and other representatives from the Goethe University. The conference produced a wealth of insights into the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) at universities. Discussions highlighted both opportunities and challenges, especially in the context of the digitalization of administration and teaching organizations. Instruments for various areas of application were presented, including information and communication tools such as chatbots and recommendation systems, as well…

Apr162024 by Heather WehnerNo Comments

New Pub: Feedback sources in essay writing: peer-generated or AI-generated feedback?

Artificial Intelligence, Empirical Study, Feedback, Further Education, Journal, Publication

A newly published article discusses the use of peer feedback as a learning strategy, particularly in large classes where teachers face heavy workloads. For complex tasks like writing argumentative essays, peers may struggle to provide high-quality feedback due to the cognitive demands involved. The emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, like ChatGPT, raises the question of whether AI can serve as a new feedback source for such tasks. To investigate this, a study compared ChatGPT-generated feedback with peer feedback on argumentative essays written by 74 graduate students from a Dutch university. The study collected essay data, peer feedback and ChatGPT-generated feedback, and then analyzed them using coding schemes. Results showed significant differences between ChatGPT and peer feedback, with ChatGPT offering more descriptive feedback while peers focused on identifying essay problems.…

Apr112024 by Sebastian GombertNo Comments

Team led by Sebastian Gombert wins one of two tracks at BEA 2024 shared task on predicting Item Difficulty and Item Response Time

Artificial Intelligence, Assessment, Award, Computational Psychometrics, Conference, Higher Education, New Pub, Workshop

For standardized exams to be fair and reliable, they must include a diverse range of question difficulties to accurately assess test taker abilities. Additionally, it's crucial to balance the time allotted per question to avoid making the test unnecessarily rushed or sluggish. The goal of this year's BEA shared task (competition) was to build systems which could predict Item Difficulty and Item Response Time for items taken from the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). EduTec member Sebastian Gombert designed systems which are able to predict both variables simultaneously. These placed first out of 43 for predicting Item Difficulty and fitfth out of 34 for predicting Item Response Time. They use modified versions of established transformer language models in a multitask setup. A corresponding system description paper titled Predicting Item…