Platform-enabled research services will control, manage, and measure learner experiences within that platform. In this paper, we consider the need for research services that examine learner experiences "outside" the platform. For example, we describe an effort to conduct an experiment on peer assessment in a college writing course, where…

Since GPT-4's release it has shown novel abilities in a variety of domains. This paper explores the use of LLM-generated explanations as on-demand assistance for problems within the ASSISTments platform. In particular, we are studying whether GPT-generated explanations are better than nothing on problems that have no supports and whether…

This work proposes Dynamic Linear Epsilon-Greedy, a novel contextual multi-armed bandit algorithm that can adaptively assign personalized content to users while enabling unbiased statistical analysis. Traditional A/B testing and reinforcement learning approaches have trade-offs between empirical investigation and maximal impact on users. Our…

An online learning system has the capacity to offer customized content that caters to individual learner's need and has seen growing interest from industry and academia alike in recent years. Different from traditional computerized adaptive testing setting which has a well-calibrated item bank with new items periodically added, online learning…

Studies have shown that on-demand assistance, additional instruction given on a problem per student request, improves student learning in online learning environments. Students may have opinions on whether an assistance was effective at improving student learning. As students are the driving force behind the effectiveness of assistance, there…

Randomized A/B tests within online learning platforms enable us to draw unbiased causal estimators. However, precise estimates of treatment effects can be challenging due to minimal participation, resulting in underpowered A/B tests. Recent advancements indicate that leveraging auxiliary information from detailed logs and employing design-based…

To meet the goal of understanding students' complex learning processes and maximizing their learning outcomes, the field of learning analytics delves into the myriad of data captured as students use computer assisted learning platforms. Although many platforms associated with learning analytics focus on students' performance, performance on…

For researchers seeking to improve education, a common goal is to identify teaching practices that have causal benefits in classroom settings. To test whether an instructional practice exerts a causal influence on an outcome measure, the most straightforward and compelling method is to conduct an experiment. While experimentation is common in…

Greater financial literacy is critically needed among young adults in the United States, but many financial literacy education courses have been less effective than hoped for by educators and researchers. Additionally, many have not been designed around established curricula or learning science principles, rendering findings difficult for…

Machine learning methods for predictive analytics have great potential for uncovering trends in educational data. However, simple linear models still appear to be most widely used, in part, because of their interpretability. This study aims to address the issues of interpretability of complex machine learning classifiers by conducting feature…

Previous research points to digital attention training as a potential remedy for the growing levels of distraction and emotional distress that adolescents experience. However, no studies with a comparison group have been conducted in high school settings to assess the feasibility and efficacy of digital attention training. Using a two-group,…

Despite the proliferation of video-based instruction and its benefits--such as promoting student autonomy and self-paced learning--the complexities of online teaching remain a challenge. To be effective, educators require extensive training in digital teaching methodologies. As such, there's a pressing need to examine and comprehend the…

Historically, learning for young students has occurred in formal, in-person classroom environments. But in just a matter of weeks, children were mandated to transition to a completely new mode of learning, facing new learning challenges with heightened anxieties. To this end, we aim to better understand how our learning experience design (LXD)…

Classroom role-play is an interactive learning technique with a long history of success, but current attempts to augment it with technology limit the very interactions that make this technique successful. For example, digital roleplay games often engage individual students at a computer, rather than creating rich social interactions among…