Empirical Research, Contextual Research: Taking advantage of Cognitive Science Principles: Adding to a Computer-Based Tutor an Automatic Reassessment and Relearning System

拟议中的项目将在现有的智能数学辅导系统ASSISTments上建立并测试新的功能。新功能将包含一个受认知科学中间隔效应研究启发的功能——当教学发生在不同的时间点时，学生的表现会得到提高，而不是集中在一个单一的体验上。该项目将测试这种间隔效应是否有效，如果有效，将为其提供功能，以便将其包含在未来的ASSISTments环境中，以造福数学学习者。目标受众是K-12数学学生；本研究的样本将从使用马萨诸塞州ASSISTments系统的学生中抽取。ASSISTments系统是一个基于网络的数学学习环境，当学习者在智能导师的帮助下完成数学问题时，它会对学习者进行测验。它利用了学习者可以通过对内容进行测试来提高他们对内容的理解和记忆的发现。该项目将在ASSISTments系统中增加重新学习和重新测试阶段，允许学生重新学习材料，以支持他们保留在以前的课程中可能忘记或没有充分学习的内容。这些阶段将针对目前使用ASSISTments的学生样本（约15,000名学生）进行开发、实施和重新设计。决定新阶段有效性的结果将包括学生在ASSISTments任务以及州测试MCAS中的表现。本研究将检验数学智能辅导环境中间隔效应对学生学习成绩的影响。直接的产品将是用于再学习和再测试的功能，以及该领域的研究成果。如果证明是有效的，这个项目的研究结果可以显著改善学生在ASSISTments智能导师系统中的表现。它也将为其他使用智能导师来支持数学和科学学习者的系统提供信息。

The proposed project will build and test new functionality onto an existing intelligent tutoring system in mathematics, called ASSISTments. The new functionality will incorporate a feature inspired by research in cognitive science on spacing effects--that students' performance is improved when instruction occurs over a variety of time points, rather than being focused in a single experience. The project will test whether this spacing effect is effective and, if so, will provide the functionality for it to be included in future ASSISTments environments for the benefit of mathematics learners. The target audience is K-12 mathematics students; the sample for this study will be drawn from students using the ASSISTments system in Massachusetts. The ASSISTments system is a web-based environment for mathematics learning, which quizzes learners as they complete mathematics problems with the help of an intelligent tutor. It uses the finding that learners can improve their understanding and retention of content by being quizzed on the content. This project will add ReLearning and ReTesting phases to the ASSISTments system, allowing students to relearn material to support their retention of the content that they may have forgotten or not learned adequately in previous sessions. These phases will be developed, implemented, and redesigned for a sample of the students who currently use ASSISTments--about 15,000 students. Outcomes for determining effectiveness of the new phases will include students' performance on the ASSISTments tasks as well as the state test, MCAS. This study will test the hypothesis that a spacing effect would improve students' performance in a mathematics intelligent tutoring environment. The immediate product will be functionality for ReLearning and ReTesting, as well as research findings for the field. If shown to be effective, this project's findings could lead to significant improvement in students' performance within the ASSISTments intelligent tutor system. It would also be informative for other systems that use intelligent tutors to support mathematics and science learners.