This study investigates the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) by undergraduates majoring in Instrumentation and Control Engineering (ICE) at University of Shanghai for Science and Technology. We conducted a questionnaire survey to assess the awareness and usage habits of these LLMs among ICE undergraduates in ICE courses, focusing on the model…

ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) have the potential to significantly disrupt common educational practices and assessments, given their capability to quickly generate human-like text in response to user prompts. LLMs GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 have been tested against many standardized and high-stakes assessment materials (e.g. SAT, Uniform…

Teamwork skills are commonly evaluated by human assessors, which can be logistically challenging and resource intensive. Technological advancements provide an opportunity for a new assessment method -- virtual behavioural simulations with self-scoring algorithms. This study explores whether a rule-based algorithm can match human assessors at…

The current study explores the ability to predict argumentative claims in structurally-annotated student essays to gain insights into the role of argumentation structure in the quality of persuasive writing. Our annotation scheme specified six types of argumentative components based on the well-established Toulmin's model of argumentation. We…

Large language models present new opportunities for teaching and learning. The response accuracy of these models, however, is believed to depend on the prompt quality which can be a challenge for students. In this study, we aimed to explore how undergraduate students use ChatGPT for problem-solving, what prompting strategies they develop, the link…

This study examined factors influencing students' intention to use ChatGPT using UTAUT2 model. The cross-sectional study is based on responses collected from 578 students selected through convenience sampling at a university in Nepal through a structured questionnaire. Using PLS-SEM, the study found that habit ([beta] = 0.315, p < 0.001),…

At present, ChatGPT is penetrating all spheres of human activities, and especially education is no exception. The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the potentials and pitfalls of using ChatGPT for academic purposes among university students, as well as provide relevant pedagogical implications for its use in academia. The methodology…

Generative AI technologies such as large language models show novel potential to enhance educational research. For example, generative large language models were shown to be capable of solving quantitative reasoning tasks in physics and concept tests such as the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). Given the importance of such concept inventories for…

An online peer-assessment system typically allows students to give textual feedback to their peers, with the goal of helping the peers improve their work. The amount of help that students receive is highly dependent on the quality of the reviews. Previous studies have investigated using machine learning to detect characteristics of reviews (e.g.,…

Scholars have applied automatic content analysis to study computer-mediated communication in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL). Since CSCL also takes place in face-to-face interactions, we studied the automatic coding accuracy of manually transcribed face-to-face communication. We conducted our study in an authentic higher-education…

Previous text comprehension studies using the contradiction paradigm primarily tested assumptions of the activation mechanism involved in reading. However, the nature of the contradiction in such studies relied on validation of information in readers' general world knowledge. We directly tested this validation process by varying the strength of…

This study reports on the results of classroom research investigating the effects of corpus use in the process of revising compositions in English as a foreign language. Our primary aim was to investigate the relationship between the information extracted from corpus data and how that information actually helped in revising different types of…

Expressing causal relations plays a central role in academic writing. While it is important that writing instructors assess and provide feedback on learners' causal discourse, it could be a very time-consuming task. In this respect, automated writing evaluation (AWE) tools may be helpful. However, to date, there have been no AWE tools capable of…