Opening the Genetics Gateway with Automated Support for Student Thinking

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Genetics is a fundamental unifying theme of biology. The Human Genome Project andadvances in genetics and biotechnology are revolutionizing biology, medicine and industry.However, genetics is an intimidating challenge for college students across the full range of post-secondary institutions and the growing demand for genetics education outstrips the supply ofqualified teachers.We are developing a genetics cognitive tutor to support active problem-basedlearning in undergraduate genetics courses and make genetics accessible to more students.Cognitive tutors are an educational technology that speeds learning and yields large achievementgains compared to conventional instruction by providing students "just-in-time" problem-solvinghelp. Cognitive Tutor mathematics courses are currently in use by more than 125,000 students inover 700 middle and high schools. The genetics cognitive tutor is building on past successes intutoring quantitative reasoning and using the cognitive tutoring technology in novel realms ofscientific inference and experimental design.We are pilot testing and evaluating cognitive tutor lessons in six universities representing adiverse student population, and including large public universities, private research universities, asmall liberal arts university and an historically black university. Pilot testing includes formativeevaluations of tutor effectiveness and student learning rates. Summative evaluations ofachievement outcomes are being conducted by Carnegie Mellon's Office of Technology forEducation and Eberly Teaching Center. Cognitive tutor dissemination activities are focusing onsummer workshops and conference workshops, and are facilitated by a project advisoryboard and Carnegie Mellon's Office of Innovation Transfer.