{"id":101436,"date":"2019-07-31T13:06:18","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T17:06:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=101436"},"modified":"2022-02-21T11:47:20","modified_gmt":"2022-02-21T16:47:20","slug":"ucf-researchers-ai-tutoring-tool-targets-improving-student-studying-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-researchers-ai-tutoring-tool-targets-improving-student-studying-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Researcher\u2019s AI Tutoring Tool Targets Improving Student Studying Skills"},"content":{"rendered":"

Effective studying is a skill, but it\u2019s one students sometimes don\u2019t learn despite years of schooling.<\/p>\n

A University of Central Florida researcher has developed a computer-based, artificial intelligence<\/a> tutoring tool \u2013 MetaTutor \u2013 that monitors students\u2019 learning activities, facial expressions, eye movements, and interactions with avatars, and adapts its instruction delivery to help students learn more effectively.<\/p>\n

The tool is featured in the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s What Works Clearinghouse report Using Technology to Support Postsecondary Student Learning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cHumans struggle and face serious challenges when learning, reasoning and problem solving,\u201d says Roger Azevedo, a professor in UCF\u2019s College of Community Innovation and Education<\/a> who developed the tool. \u201cSo, we as psychologists are finding ways of understanding what those challenges or limitations are so we can help people overcome them.\u201d<\/p>\n

MetaTutor works by placing students inside an AI-supported learning environment they access through their computer. As they navigate the content they are studying, the tool monitors the information they are accessing and for how long. If students start going down the wrong track, the computer\u2019s AI will recognize this and will begin to help them readjust.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, what if the student selects content that is part of the topic but isn\u2019t relevant to the current learning goal?\u201d Azevedo says. \u201cIf a student persists with that content, then after a certain amount of time, one of the tool\u2019s four avatars, Mary the Monitor, pops up on the screen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMary starts a dialogue,\u201d Azevedo says. \u201cShe says, \u2018Hey, do you think this content is relevant to your current learning goal?\u2019 If the student says \u2018yes,\u2019 then they have to explain to Mary why it\u2019s relevant. Depending on their response, Mary provides individualized instructional techniques and feedback.\u201d<\/p>\n

These prompts help students stay focused and augment their ability to discern the material most relevant to their planned and current learning goals. This helps improve their metacognition, or ability to be aware of what they are learning.<\/p>\n