Motivation: Compare the effectiveness of human and computer tutors

Definitions:

• Computer Tutoring Systems
  • Intelligent tutoring – step-based or substep-based, students work problems in the system and receive feedback for each step, high interactivity
  • Answer-based tutoring (Computer-Aided Instruction (CAI), Computer-Based Training (CBT), Computer-Aided Learning (CAL)) – answer-based, students work problems outside of the system and enter the answer to receive feedback, low interactivity
• Human Tutoring – students work on problems with subject-matter experts synchronously, high interactivity

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Motivation: Create an annotated bibliography of Human Factors that introduces and organizes its sub-fields and seminal works.

Outline: Human Factors is a field of psychology that examines how humans interact with technology, so we organized this bibliography around the factors that affect this interaction. After a general overview of the field and its methods, we introduce psychological factors from sources both internal, in “Perceptual and Cognitive Factors,” and external, in “Organizational and Social Factors.” Next, we discuss how to apply these factors to designing systems that match the capabilities and limitations of humans both cognitively, in “Cognitive Factors in Design,” and physically, in “Physical Factors in Design.” Finally, we describe factors that affect users once they start interacting with a system in “Deployment Factors.” Continue reading →

Motivation: Debunk popular urban legends in education about student-driven learning

Urban Legend 1: Learners Are Digital Natives

Legend: Digital natives, or people who have interacted with information technology throughout their entire life, are presumed to be able to learn from and simultaneously pay attention to multiple sources and mediums. Continue reading →