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Bruce M. McLaren

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Bruce Martin McLaren
BornOctober 28, 1959
Occupation(s)Researcher, scientist and author
Children2
Academic background
EducationB.S., Computer Science
M.S., in Computer Science
M.S., Intelligent Systems
Ph.D., Intelligent Systems
Alma materMillersville University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh
Doctoral advisorProf. Kevin D. Ashley
Academic work
InstitutionsCarnegie Mellon University
German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence
Saarland University
Main interestsArtificial Intelligence, Educational Technology, Digital Learning Games, Machine Ethics
Websitehttp://www.cs.cmu.edu/~bmclaren/

Bruce Martin McLaren (born 1959 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American researcher, scientist and author. He is a professor at Carnegie Mellon University[1] in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute, head of the McLearn Lab,[2] and a former President of the International Artificial Intelligence in Education Society (2017-2019).[3]

McLaren's scientific research is focused on exploring how students learn with digital learning games (also called educational games), intelligent tutoring systems, e-learning principles, and collaborative learning. McLaren is also a co-founder, along with Vincent Aleven, of Mathtutor,[4] a free website for middle-school math intelligent tutoring systems. He has written or co-written over 200 academic articles,[5] is in the top 0.5% of all scholars worldwide in Artificial Intelligence (regarding publication record and the quality of scholarly contributions, according to ScholarGPS[6]), and holds five patents.[7]

Education

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McLaren received a B.S. in Computer Science (cum laude) from Millersville University of Pennsylvania in 1981. He later attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he received an M.S. in Computer Science in 1984 and an M.S. in Intelligent Systems in 1994. In 1999, McLaren received a Ph.D. in Intelligent Systems from the University of Pittsburgh.[8] His Ph.D. thesis was entitled "Assessing the Relevance of Cases and Principles Using Operationalization Techniques".[9] His doctoral advisor was Kevin Ashley. McLaren published a paper based on his Ph.D. in the Artificial Intelligence Journal.[10]

Career

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McLaren began his career as a software engineer, working for General Electric. After completing his M.Sc. McLaren joined the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University as a Research Programmer and then Project Supervisor in the Intelligent Systems Laboratory. In 1986 he joined Carnegie Group, an AI and expert systems company, as a Senior Consultant, where he was responsible for the company's expert systems projects in Europe. He later worked as a Senior Engineer and a Project Manager at the Carnegie Group in the United States until 1998. After completing his Ph.D. in 1999, McLaren joined OpenWebs Corporation where he first worked as the Director of Research and Development and then as the Director of eCommerce Technologies. In 2002, McLaren left OpenWebs to join Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) as a Systems Scientist. In 2015, he became an Associate Research Professor at CMU.[11]

From 2006 to 2010, he worked as a visiting senior researcher at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence in Saarbrücken, Germany, where he did research on collaborative learning, argumentation and technology for analyzing collaborative argumentation. On both the ARGUNAUT and LASAD projects, his research was focused on developing educational technology, using AI techniques, to help teachers moderate collaborative e-Discussions and arguments.[12][13]

McLaren was elected to the Executive Committee of the International Artificial Intelligence in Education Society for a six-year term in 2011. From 2017 to 2019, he served as the President of the society.[14] During his tenure as president, McLaren instituted annual (versus bi-annual) society conferences, started the bi-annual Lifetime Achievement Awards [15] and worked toward a more diverse society, regarding gender, race, and geography. As President, McLaren was quoted in a 2019 article about AI in the classroom in a PBS article[16] In 2021, McLaren was again elected to the Executive Committee of the society.

McLaren has given keynote talks at a variety of educational technology conferences, including the 11th International Conference on e-Learning and e-Teaching (ICeLeT 2024) in Isfahan, Iran,[17] the 2021 IEEE International Conference on Engineering, Technology, and Education (TALE 2021) in Wuhan, China,[18] the Australian Learning Analytics Summer Institute in 2019 (ALASI 2019),[19] e-Learning Korea 2018,[20] and the 24th International Conference on Computers in Education in 2016 in Mumbai, India.[21]

McLaren is a faculty member in Carnegie Mellon University’s METALS (Masters of Educational Technology and Applied Learning Sciences)[22] program and has taught the METALS capstone course since 2016.[23]

Research

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McLaren's research is focused in three areas of educational technology: learning with digital learning games; learning to argue and reason through computer-mediated collaborative learning; and learning with interactive worked and erroneous examples. McLaren has also done fundamental research in how ethical reasoning can be implemented through artificial intelligence techniques, what is sometimes referred to as “machine ethics".

Digital learning games

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Collaborating with Professor Jodi Forlizzi, McLaren developed a digital learning game called Decimal Point to teach decimal fractions and decimal operations to middle school students.[24] In 2017, they conducted a study, which involved 153 students from two middle schools, 70 students learned about decimals from playing Decimal Point, whereas 83 students learned the same content by a more conventional, computer-based approach. In the study, the game led to significantly better learning gains, on both an immediate and delayed posttest and was rated by the students as significantly more enjoyable.[25] They later ran several replications of the study and achieved the same results. The replication studies also revealed that the game is more effective in teaching female students than male students.[26]

More recently, McLaren and his team have explored a variety of issues related to digital learning games, including student agency,[27][28] gender effects,[29] game-based educational data mining,[30][31] and the impact of feedback and hints on student learning.[32] McLaren’s team has run studies in many middle schools in the local Pittsburgh area with these new research questions. A forthcoming book chapter describes the many studies run with the Decimal Point learning game between 2014 and 2023.[33]

In 2023 McLaren, along with his PhD student Huy Nguyen, authored a book chapter for the Handbook on AI in Education on how Artificial Intelligence has been used in digital learning games.[34] McLaren's lab has also explored the use of a large language model (LLM - ChatGPT) as a means of responding to prompted self-explanation in the context of Decimal Point.[35]

Learning to argue through computer-mediated collaborative learning

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Since 2005, McLaren has done research on computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) and how technology can be leveraged to support constructivist learning. His initial work in collaborative learning involved the semi-automated development of intelligent tutors to support collaborative learning,[36] learning of algebra through scripted dyad collaboration with Cognitive Tutors,[37] and the learning of chemistry through scripted dyad collaboration with a virtual laboratory. This research supported the claim that collaborative learning can be improved with guidance, either explicit direction on steps to take or feedback on domain content, student actions, and/or collaboration.[38]

In collaboration with colleagues and his students, McLaren has developed software tools, using the combination of AI and language analysis techniques, to analyze collaborative argumentation or e-discussions, to help classroom teachers guide multiple discussions and, consequently, to help students learn argumentation skills. In a paper published in 2010, he and his students showed that software classifiers can be created using machine-learning techniques to identify key constructs in online collaborative arguments. A teacher can use these constructs to guide students in debating and learning with one another.[39]

McLaren and his team have focused on developing analysis and feedback techniques, which leverage the structure, order, and textual contributions of arguments, so that the teacher has information to guide and advise the collaborating groups. McLaren and colleagues used graph matching, machine learning, and language processing techniques to analyze e-discussions from high school ethics and university education classrooms. He and his team developed an algorithm called DOCE (Detection Of Clusters by Example) that, given labelled example clusters, can identify similar clusters of student contributions in new discussions.[40] Ultimately, both DOCE and the combined machine learning/text mining approach are used in the context of the ARGUNAUT system to provide "alerts" so that a teacher can, at a glance, see and react to problems in the e-discussions.[41]

McLaren's web-based argumentation workspace and variety of analysis techniques was later made widely available to a range of students and other researchers through another project, for which he, along with Niels Pinkwart,[42] was principal investigator, LASAD – Learning to Argue: Generalized Support Across Domains.[43]

Learning with interactive worked and erroneous examples

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McLaren's research has also explored how worked examples, both correct and incorrect, can be used to help students learn. In three separate but similar studies, he and his colleagues investigated whether examples studied in conjunction with tutored problems can lead to better learning.They found that worked examples alternating with isomorphic tutored problems did not produce greater learning gains than tutored problems alone. On the other hand, the examples group across the three studies learned more efficiently than the tutored-alone group; students spent 21% less time learning the same amount of material.[44]

McLaren is among the first educational technology researchers to extensively investigate the learning potential of interactive erroneous examples.[45] In the early 2010s, he participated in several research projects that explored the instructional benefits of erroneous examples. He conducted classroom studies with middle school math students that revealed that students who worked with erroneous examples to learn decimals performed better on a delayed posttest than those who worked with problems to solve.[46] With respect to correct worked examples, he and his colleagues later showed that worked examples can lead to as much learning but in significantly less time than erroneous examples, intelligently-tutored problems, and problems to solve in the domain of chemistry.[47]

McLaren has also collaborated with Professor Ryan Baker, an expert in educational data mining, and other colleagues on analyzing the affective states of students as they learn from erroneous examples.[48]

Machine ethics

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As part of his dissertation research, McLaren built a computational model of ethical reasoning, specifically a program built with AI and case-base reasoning techniques that retrieves and analyzes ethical dilemmas. Thus, McLaren is recognized as one of the first researchers to contribute to the research area of machine ethics and, according to Google Scholar, is the second most cited researcher in this field.[49] The journal paper McLaren published about his PhD work [50] is often cited within this research community. McLaren also wrote a journal article describing both his dissertation research and his earlier work on an ethical reasoning system called TRUTH-TELLER.[51][52] A 2016 CNN article, in which McLaren is quoted, discusses the issue of machine ethics and robotics.[53]

Personal life

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McLaren's parents are Thomas James McLaren, who died in 2012 and who was a Presbyterian minister, and Shirley Martin McLaren, a former high school English teacher. McLaren was married to Gabriele McLaren (née Huber) from 1990 until their divorce in 2013. McLaren is an avid outdoorsman and hiker; he hiked the entire Appalachian Trail in 1989.[54]

Selected papers

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  • Aleven, V., McLaren, B., Roll, I., & Koedinger, K. (2004). Toward Tutoring Help Seeking. Intelligent Tutoring Systems Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 227–239. [55]
  • Ashley, K.D. & McLaren, B.M. (1995). Reasoning with reasons in case-based comparisons. In the Proceedings of the First International Conference on Case-Based Reasoning (ICCBR-95). Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence, 1010. October, 1995, Sesimbra, Portugal. (pp. 133–144). Springer: Berlin.[56]
  • Baker R.S., McLaren, B.M., Huff, S., Richey, J.E., Rowe, E., Almeda, M.V., Mogessie, M. & Andres, J.M.A. (2021). Towards sharing student models across learning systems. In: Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2021).[57]
  • Eagle, M., Corbett, A., Stamper, J., McLaren, B. M., Baker, R., Wagner, A., MacLaren, B., & Mitchell, A. (2016). Predicting individual differences for learner modeling in intelligent tutors from previous learner activities. In F. Cena, M. Desmarais, D. Dicheva, J. Zhang (Eds.), Proceedings of the 24th Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization (UMAP 2016). ACM, New York, NY. (pp. 55–63).[58]
  • Holstein, K., McLaren, B.M. & Aleven, V. (2018). Student learning benefits of a mixed-reality teacher awareness tool in AI-enhanced classrooms. In C. Rosé, R. Martínez-Maldonado, H.U. Hoppe, R. Luckin, M. Mavrikis, K. Porayska-Pomsta, B. McLaren and B. du Boulay (Eds.). Proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2018). LNAI 10947 (pp. 154–168). Springer: Berlin.[59]
  • McLaren, B.M. (2003). Extensionally defining principles and cases in ethics: An AI model. Artificial Intelligence Journal, 150, 145–181.[60]
  • McLaren, B.M. (2006). Computational models of ethical reasoning: Challenges, initial steps, and future directions. IEEE Intelligent Systems, Published by the IEEE Computer Society. July/August 2006. 29-37.
  • McLaren, B. M., Adams, D. M., & Mayer, R.E. (2015). Delayed learning effects with erroneous examples: A study of learning decimals with a web-based tutor. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 25(4), 520–542.
  • McLaren, B. M., Adams, D. M., Mayer, R. E., & Forlizzi, J. (2017). A computer-based game that promotes mathematics learning more than a conventional approach. International Journal of Game-Based Learning (IJGBL), 7(1), 36–56.[61]
  • McLaren, B.M., Farzan, R., Adams, D.M., Mayer, R.E., & Forlizzi, J. (2017). Uncovering gender and problem difficulty effects in learning with an educational game. In E. André, R. Baker, X. Hu, M.M.T. Rodrigo, and B. du Boulay (Eds.). Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2017). LNAI 10331 (pp. 540–543). Springer: Berlin.[62]
  • McLaren, B.M., Lim, S., & Koedinger, K.R. (2008). When and how often should worked examples be given to students? New results and a summary of the current state of research. In B. C. Love, K. McRae, & V. M. Sloutsky (Eds.), Proceedings of the 30th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 2176–2181). Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
  • McLaren, B.M., Richey, J.E., Nguyen, H., and Hou, X. (2022). How instructional context can impact learning with educational technology: Lessons from a study with a digital learning game. Computers & Education, 178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104366
  • McLaren, B.M., Scheuer, O., & Mikšátko, J. (2010). Supporting collaborative learning and e-Discussions using artificial intelligence techniques. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education (IJAIED) 20(1), 1–46.
  • McLaren, B. M., van Gog, T., Ganoe, C., Yaron, D., & Karabinos, M. (2015). Worked Examples are more efficient for learning than high-assistance instructional software. In C. Conati, N. Heffernan, A. Mitrovic, & M. F. Verdejo (Eds.), Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2015). LNAI 9112 (pp. 710–713)
  • Najar, A.S., Mitrovic, A. & McLaren, B.M. (2014). Adaptive support versus alternating worked examples and tutored problems: Which leads to better learning? Aalborg, Denmark: In the Proceedings of the 22nd Conf. User Modelling, Adaptation and Personalization (UMAP 2014). LNCS 8538 (pp. 171–182).
  • Richey J. E., Zhang, J., Das, R., Andres-Bray, J.M. Scruggs, R., Mogessie, M., Baker R.S.& McLaren, B.M. (2021). Gaming and confrustion explain learning advantages for a math digital learning game. In: Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED 2021).[63]
  • Scheuer, O., Loll, F., Pinkwart, N., & McLaren, B. M. (2010). Computer-supported argumentation: A review of the state of the art. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 5(1), 43–102.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bruce McLaren - CMU Faculty Page".
  2. ^ "McLearn Lab".
  3. ^ "IAIED Society History".
  4. ^ "Mathtutor". Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  5. ^ "Bruce McLaren – Google Scholar".
  6. ^ "ScholarGPS Profile for Bruce M. McLaren".
  7. ^ "Patents by Inventor Bruce M. McLaren".
  8. ^ "Bruce M. McLaren – Education".
  9. ^ McLaren, Bruce Martin (1999). Assessing the relevance of cases and principles using operationalization techniques (phd). University of Pittsburgh.
  10. ^ McLaren, Bruce M. (2003). "Extensionally defining principles and cases in ethics: An AI model". Artificial Intelligence. 150 (1–2): 145–81. doi:10.1016/S0004-3702(03)00135-8. S2CID 11588399.
  11. ^ "Bruce McLaren – Experience".
  12. ^ McLaren, Bruce M.; Scheuer, Oliver; Mikšátko, Jan (January 2010). "Supporting Collaborative Learning and E-Discussions Using Artificial Intelligence Techniques". International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education. 20 (1): 1–46. doi:10.3233/JAI-2010-0001.
  13. ^ McLaren, Bruce. "How Tough Should It Be? Simplifying The Development of Argumentation Systems Using a Configurable Platform".
  14. ^ "IAIED Society History".
  15. ^ "IAIED Society History, and the Lifetime Achievement Awards".
  16. ^ "AI Technology is Disrupting the Traditional Classroom. Here's a Progress Report". PBS. 15 January 2019.
  17. ^ "Bruce McLaren's ICeLeT 2024 keynote talk".
  18. ^ "Bruce McLaren's TALE 2021 keynote talk".
  19. ^ "Bruce McLaren's ALASI 2019 keynote talk".
  20. ^ "Bruce McLaren's e-Learning Korea 2018 keynote talk".
  21. ^ "Bruce McLaren's ICCE 2016 keynote talk".
  22. ^ "METALS (Masters of Educational Technology and Applied Learning Sciences)".
  23. ^ "METALS Capstone Course". 25 August 2015.
  24. ^ "Decimal point: Designing and developing an educational game to teach decimals to middle school students".
  25. ^ McLaren, Bruce M.; Adams, Deanne M.; Mayer, Richard E.; Forlizzi, Jodi (2017). "A Computer-Based Game That Promotes Mathematics Learning More than a Conventional Approach". International Journal of Game-Based Learning. 7: 36–56. doi:10.4018/IJGBL.2017010103.
  26. ^ Hou, Xinying; Nguyen, Huy A.; Richey, J. Elizabeth; McLaren, Bruce M. (2020). "Exploring How Gender and Enjoyment Impact Learning in a Digital Learning Game". Artificial Intelligence in Education. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 12163. pp. 255–268. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-52237-7_21. ISBN 978-3-030-52236-0. S2CID 220364540.
  27. ^ Nguyen, Huy; Harpstead, Erik; Wang, Yeyu; McLaren, Bruce M. (2018). "Student Agency and Game-Based Learning: A Study Comparing Low and High Agency". Artificial Intelligence in Education. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 10947. pp. 338–351. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-93843-1_25. ISBN 978-3-319-93842-4.
  28. ^ Harpstead, Erik; Richey, J. Elizabeth; Nguyen, Huy; McLaren, Bruce M. (2019). "Exploring the Subtleties of Agency and Indirect Control in Digital Learning Games". Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Learning Analytics & Knowledge. pp. 121–129. doi:10.1145/3303772.3303797. ISBN 9781450362566. S2CID 67872086.
  29. ^ Hou, Xinying; Nguyen, Huy A.; Richey, J. Elizabeth; McLaren, Bruce M. (2020). "Exploring How Gender and Enjoyment Impact Learning in a Digital Learning Game". Artificial Intelligence in Education. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 12163. pp. 255–268. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-52237-7_21. ISBN 978-3-030-52236-0. S2CID 220364540.
  30. ^ "Gaming and confrustion explain learning advantages for a math digital learning game".
  31. ^ Nguyen, Huy; Wang, Yeyu; Stamper, John; McLaren, Bruce (2019). "Using Knowledge Component Modeling to Increase Domain Understanding in a Digital Learning Game". Proceedings of the International Conference on Educational Data Mining (PDF). pp. 139–148.
  32. ^ McLaren, Bruce M.; Richey, J. Elizabeth; Nguyen, Huy; Hou, Xinying (2022). "How instructional context can impact learning with educational technology: Lessons from a study with a digital learning game". Computers & Education. 178: 104366. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104366. S2CID 243811490.
  33. ^ "Decimal Point: A Decade of Learning Science Findings with a Digital Learning Game" (PDF).
  34. ^ "Digital Learning Games in Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED): A Review".
  35. ^ "Evaluating ChatGPT's Decimal Skills and Feedback Generation in a Digital Learning Game".
  36. ^ McLaren, Bruce M.; R, Kenneth; Schneider, Koedinger Mike; Harrer, Andreas; Bollen, Lars. "Bootstrapping Novice Data: Semiautomated tutor authoring using student log files".
  37. ^ "Improving Algebra Learning and Collaboration through Collaborative Extensions to the Algebra Cognitive Tutor". 2005. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.61.2141.
  38. ^ "Extending a virtual chemistry laboratory with a collaboration script to promote conceptual learning".
  39. ^ McLaren, Bruce M.; Scheuer, Oliver; Mikšátko, Jan (January 2010). "Supporting Collaborative Learning and E-Discussions Using Artificial Intelligence Techniques". International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education. 20 (1): 1–46.
  40. ^ Recognizing creative thinking in graphical e-discussions using artificial intelligence graph-matching techniques. 8 June 2009. pp. 108–112. ISBN 9781409285984.
  41. ^ Miksatko, Jan; McLaren, Bruce M. (2008). What's in a Cluster? Automatically Detecting Interesting Interactions in Student E-Discussions. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 5091. pp. 333–342. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-69132-7_37. ISBN 978-3-540-69130-3.
  42. ^ "Prof. Dr. Niels Pinkwart".
  43. ^ "LASAD Project".
  44. ^ "When and How Often Should Worked Examples be Given to Students? New Results and a Summary of the Current State of Research".
  45. ^ "Adapterrex: Exploring the Learning Benefits of Erroneous Examples and Their Dynamic Adaptations Within the Context of Middle School Mathematics".
  46. ^ "Delayed Learning Effects with Erroneous Examples: a Study of Learning Decimals with a Web-Based Tutor".
  47. ^ McLaren, Bruce M.; Van Gog, Tamara; Ganoe, Craig; Yaron, David; Karabinos, Michael (2015). "Worked Examples are More Efficient for Learning than High-Assistance Instructional Software". Artificial Intelligence in Education. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 9112. pp. 710–713. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-19773-9_98. hdl:1874/327002. ISBN 978-3-319-19772-2.
  48. ^ Richey, J. Elizabeth; Andres-Bray, Juan Miguel L.; Mogessie, Michael; Scruggs, Richard; Andres, Juliana M. A. L.; Star, Jon R.; Baker, Ryan S.; McLaren, Bruce M. (2019-10-01). "More confusion and frustration, better learning: The impact of erroneous examples". Computers & Education. 139: 173–190. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2019.05.012. ISSN 0360-1315. S2CID 181890094.
  49. ^ "Most cited author in the field of Machine Ethics".
  50. ^ McLaren, Bruce M. (2003). "Extensionally defining principles and cases in ethics: An AI model". Artificial Intelligence. 150 (1–2): 145–81. doi:10.1016/S0004-3702(03)00135-8. S2CID 11588399.
  51. ^ "Computational Models of Ethical Reasoning: Challenges, Initial Steps, and Future Directions".
  52. ^ "Reasoning with Reasons in Case-Based Comparisons".
  53. ^ "Robots: Lifesavers or Terminators?". 25 September 2016.
  54. ^ "Bruce McLaren - Personal Life".
  55. ^ Aleven, Vincent; McLaren, Bruce; Roll, Ido; Koedinger, Kenneth (2004). "Toward Tutoring Help Seeking". Intelligent Tutoring Systems. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 3220. pp. 227–239. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-30139-4_22. ISBN 978-3-540-22948-3. S2CID 1397725.
  56. ^ "Reasoning with Reasons in Case-Based Comparisons".
  57. ^ "Towards sharing student models across learning systems".
  58. ^ "Predicting individual differences for learner modeling in intelligent tutors from previous learner activities" (PDF).
  59. ^ "Student learning benefits of a mixed-reality teacher awareness tool in AI-enhanced classrooms".
  60. ^ "Extensionally defining principles and cases in ethics: An AI model".
  61. ^ "A computer-based game that promotes mathematics learning more than a conventional approach".
  62. ^ "Uncovering gender and problem difficulty effects in learning with an educational game".
  63. ^ "Gaming and confrustion explain learning advantages for a math digital learning game".
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