I am presenting a short talk at the 40th Conference of Research and Development by Tecnologico de Monterrey (CIDTEC) in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. January 20–22, 2010.

Summary

The goal of this project is to combine meta-tutoring technology with the technology of affective learning companions in order to develop an Affective Meta Tutor. This Meta tutor supports meta-cognitive practices for learning within a specific scientific domain. The approach is aimed at achieving long term lasting benefits by changing students’ cost-benefits beliefs as they relate to learning; these are changes that we believe are more easily accomplished through a supportive social context provided by the affective learning companions. In science and mathematics education, a well-known problem is that students understand and manipulate scientific representations in a shallow learning manner. Although this is a well-known problem, it has no standard name, so let us call it the shallow modeling problem. When students use a software tool, say a meta-tutor, through automated user assessment it is possible to detect episodes of student’s shallow modeling. When the meta- tutor detects shallow modeling, it gently reminds students to engage in deeper modeling and explains how, if asked. This meta-tutor teaches meta- cognitive practices for learning the scientific domain rather than the science per se. Unfortunately, what is most often observed is that when the meta-tutor is removed, students resume shallow modeling. We hypothesize that lasting benefits require first changing students’ beliefs about modeling practices, and then breaking their old modeling habits and instilling new ones. Moreover, these changes are more easily accomplished in a supportive social context. Thus, our solution is to combine meta-tutoring technology with the technology of affective learning companions that have been used successfully to lead learners toward persevering in the face of frustration.

Slides

These are my slides for the short paper presentation, any comment is more than welcome.

Source

Research Project.

Companion

40th Conference of Research and Development by Tecnologico de Monterrey

Reference

VanLehn K., Burleson W., Hand P., Muldner K., Gonzalez Sanchez, J., Chavez Echeagaray M.E., and Christopherson R. (2010). Affective Meta Tutoring System. Companion of the 40th Conference of Research and Development by Tecnologico de Monterrey. Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. January 20–22, 2010. Page 595. ISBN: 978-607-501-0007.