Authors:
Bruce M. McLaren
1
;
Michael Timms
2
;
Doug Weihnacht
3
;
Daniel Brenner
4
;
Kim Luttgen
4
;
Andrew Grillo-Hill
4
and
David H. Brown
5
Affiliations:
1
Carnegie Mellon University, United States
;
2
Australian Council for Educational Research, Australia
;
3
MW Productions and San Francisco, United States
;
4
WestEd and San Francisco, United States
;
5
D. H. Brown & Associates, United States
Keyword(s):
Hints, Feedback, Bayesian Network, the Assistance Dilemma, Inquiry Learning, Science Learning.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Artificial Intelligence and Decision Support Systems
;
Computer-Supported Education
;
Domain Applications and Case Studies
;
e-Learning
;
Enterprise Information Systems
;
Information Technologies Supporting Learning
;
Intelligent Learning and Teaching Systems
;
Intelligent Tutoring Systems
;
K-12 Students
;
Learning/Teaching Methodologies and Assessment
;
Pedagogy Enhancement with e-Learning
;
Social Context and Learning Environments
;
Web-Based Learning, Wikis and Blogs
Abstract:
How much assistance should be provided to students as they learn with educational technology? Providing help allows students to proceed when struggling, yet can depress their motivation to learn independently. Assistance withholding encourages students to learn for themselves, yet can also lead to frustration. The web-based inquiry-learning program, \emph{Voyage to Galapagos (VTG)}, helps students ``follow’’ the steps of Darwin through a simulation of the Galapagos Island and his discovery of evolution. Students explore the islands, take pictures of animals, evaluate their characteristics and behavior, and use scientific methodology to discover evolution. A preliminary study with 48 middle school students examined three levels of assistance: (1) no support, (2) error flagging, text feedback on errors, and hints, and (3) pre-emptive hints with error flagging, error feedback, and hints. The results indicate that higher performing students gainfully use the program’s support more freque
ntly than lower performing students, those who arguably have a greater need for it. We conjecture that this could be a product of the current \emph{VTG} program only supporting an early phase of the learning process and also that higher performers have better metacognition, particularly in knowing when (and when not) to ask for help. Lower performers may benefit at later phases of the program, which we will test in a future study.
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