Artificial intelligence and multimodal data in the service of human decision-making: A case study in debate tutoring

The question: “What is an appropriate role for AI?” is the subject of much discussion and interest. Arguments about whether AI should be a human replacing technology or a human assisting technology frequently take centre stage. Education is no exception when it comes to questions about the role that AI should play, and as with many other professional areas, the exact role of AI in education is not easy to predict. Here, we argue that one potential role for AI in education is to provide opportunities for human intelligence augmentation, with AI supporting us in decision-making processes, rather than replacing us through automation. To provide empirical evidence to support our argument, we present a case study in the context of debate tutoring, in which we use prediction and classification models to increase the transparency of the intuitive decision-making processes of expert tutors for advanced reflections and feedback. Furthermore, we compare the accuracy of unimodal and multimodal classification models of expert human tutors' decisions about the social and emotional aspects of tutoring while evaluating trainees. Our results show that multimodal data leads to more accurate classification models in the context we studied.     

Teaching the book and educating the person: challenges for university English language teachers in China

Recent accounts of college-level English language teaching in China describe environments that, although constrained by the College English Test (CET), are undergoing changes in a number of curriculum areas, including recognition of the need to incorporate communicative approaches and the assessment of practical language abilities. In such times, tensions between the needs and desires of society, teaching institutions, teachers and students are inevitable. In this article, we report on a study involving a group of university English teachers from across China who attended a professional development programme in Beijing in the summer of 2006. We explored the experiences of 83 teachers in their working environments, using four one-page reflective frames, which we distributed at regular intervals during the 2-week programme. Teachers described tensions between the need to achieve socially-oriented and subject-centred goals, such as passing examinations and developing communicative competence (“teaching the book”), and their desire to bring about enduring personal changes in students' awareness of themselves as learners and their approaches to learning (“educating the person”). Like colleagues in other countries and contexts, they faced ongoing challenges in trying to harmonize students' needs, curriculum obligations, and their own theories of best practice.     

骨干教师培训评估体系的概念框架与标准

美国杜肯大学教育学院围绕国家教师教育资格认证委员会(NCATE)制定的教师培养概念框架构造要素:机构、组织设想和使命;组织的运作哲学、目的及目标;知识基础,包括理论,研究,实践策略以及教育政策;学员业务能力与相应的专业标准、国家标准以及机构标准相吻合;学员表现定期测评系统,提出杜肯大学骨干教师培训项目(LTP)中评估系统的设计与专业标准、国家标准衔接过程中遵循的九项标准:哲学和心理学基础;领域和主题;学员业务能力与职业标准、国家标准的衔接;对技术的承诺;对多样性的承诺;教师作为领导者、职业素质;发展学校职业合作伙伴;评估体系。     

Transforming Learning Support: An Online Resource Centre for a Diverse Student Population

The diverse student population at large multi-campus universities requires English language and academic skills support which is targeted to their needs and easily accessible. The Online Student Resource Centre website, developed at Monash University, provides opportunities for students, no matter where they are, to make contact with staff and to access information, but more significantly offers a suite of stand-alone tutorials and downloadable resources, using NetObjects Fusion as the platform. These derive from some 100 print booklets covering academic writing, reading, listening, speaking, grammar and study skills/exam strategies. This paper outlines the process and philosophy of development of these tutorials, based on a constructivist framework, with guided and self-directed learning paths designed to accommodate a range of learning styles. Two tutorials are analysed to highlight some of the pedagogical challenges in translating print resources for the online environment. The paper concludes by reporting on a pilot evaluation of the two tutorials. Transformation d’un support d’enseignement: un centre de ressources en ligne pour une population

variée d’étudiants. Les populations trés variées d’étudiants dans les grand campus multiples de certaines universités exigent une langue anglaise et des compétences académiques adaptés À leurs besoins et facilement accessible. Le centre de ressources en ligne pour les étudiants grÂce au site web, mis au point À Monash University fournit aux étudiants, où qu’ils soient, des occasions de contacts avec les enseignants et d’accès À l’information, mais de facon plus significative, offre une série d’actions de tuteurs alors que les étudiants sont seuls et de ressources que l’on peut télécharger utilisant la fusion d’objet du Net comme platforme. Ceux ci sont extraits d’une centaine de livrets imprimés concernant l’écriture, la lecture, l’écoute, la parole, la grammaire et les compétences

pour les études et les stratégies des examens. L’article donne les grandes lignes et la philosophie du développement de ces

exercices de tutorat, basés sur un cadre constructiviste comportant des cheminements d’apprentissage guidés et dirigés par les

étudiants pour faire face À toute une série de styles d’apprentissages. On analyse 2 exercices de tutorat pour mettre en valeur

certaines challenges pédagogiques en traduisant des ressources imprimés pour un environnement on ligne. L’article se termine

par le rapport d’une évaluation pilote de ces 2 exercices. Veränderte Lernhilfen: Ein Online Resource Centre für unterschiedliche Studentengruppen. Unterschiedliche Studentengruppen an grossen Campus Universitäten benötigen Unterstützung in der englischen Sprache und bei der Verbesserung der akademischen Fähigkeiten, die auf ihre Bedürfnisse zugeschnitten und einfach zugänglich ist. Das Online Student Resource Centre, das auf der Webseite von der Monash Universität entwickelt wurde, bietet den

Studenten Gelegenheit, unabhängig von ihrem Wohnort, sich mit den Lehrern in Verbindung zu setzen und Informationen abzurufen, aber darüber hinaus bietet es ein Forum für Tutorials and kopierfähiges Informationsmaterial unter Anwendung von NetObjects Fusion als Plattform. Dieses Unterstützungsmaterial stammt von 100 gedruckten Büchern über die Disziplinen, wissenschaftliches Schreiben, Lesen, Hören, Sprechen, Grammatik und Lernfähigkeiten /Prüfungsstrategien. Dieser Artikel beschreibt den Prozess und die Philosophie, die der Entwicklung dieser Tutorials zugrunde liegen und auf

einem ausbaufähigen System basieren und mit vorgegebenen und selbst bestimmten Lernpfaden so angelegt sind, dass sie mehrere Lernstile berücksichtigen. Zwei Tutorials werden analysiert um an ihnen einige der pädagogischen Herausforderungen zu verdeutlichen, die bei der übertragung von gedrucktem Material in das online Lernfeld entstehen. Der Artikel endet mit einem Bericht über die Pilot Evaluierung dieser beiden Tutorials.     

THE IMPACT OF A GERONTOLOGICAL INTERVENTION ON OSTEOPATHIC MEDICAL STUDENTS

In order to evaluate the impact of adding a brief unit on aging to the first‐year curriculum of a school of osteopathic medicine a quasiexperimental design was employed. The educational experience involved three hours of classroom material, a visit to a nursing home, and a visit to a congregate housing facility for the well elderly. Over one semester the entire first‐year class was scheduled for the program. Analysis of pretest and posttest data revealed a mild but significant improvement in knowledge and attitudes with respect to the elderly. Subjective responses to the program were very positive.     

Changing Aging Competency Following a GeroRich Intervention Initiative: Implications for Bachelor's and Master's Social Work Education

This article reports an evaluation of a GeroRich effort to increase age-specific content throughout bachelor and master-level social work curricula. A total of 426 students (128 BSWs and 298 MSWs) completed pre and posttests in 2004–2005, self-rating their aging competency using the Social Work with Aging Skill Competency Scale II (New York Academy of Medicine, 2005 New York Academy of Medicine . ( 2005 ). Practicum Partnership Program Geriatric Social Work Competency Scale II . Retrieved July 7, 2005, from New York Academy of Medicine Geriatric Practicum Partnership Program Web site:http://socialwork.nyam.org/pdf/GSWCompetencyScaleII.d  [Google Scholar]). Additional outcome questions were included to assess elements of the specific strategy. Findings indicate that both groups showed improved aging competency, but policy and human behavior courses were key to competency for BSW students, while practice and field classes predicted competency for MSWs.     

Implementation of criteria and standards-based assessment: an analysis of first-year learning guides

Assessment expectations are communicated to students in various ways and at different points in the semester. The provision of written information in learning guides given to students at the start of semester articulates what they are to do and how well they are to perform in assessment tasks. This paper examines how assessment expectations at an Australian university were communicated by staff in 159 first-year units (subjects) in the first year of university-wide implementation of criteria and standards-based assessment and learning guides policies. A framework was developed to analyse the extent and types of assessment information provided in learning guides. The paper provides a snapshot of the types of assessment used in the first year, including exams and analytical, reflective and authentic tasks. The paper contributes to an understanding of how university-wide assessment policy implementation can be evaluated through an examination of documents produced by staff.     

Key workers and schools: meeting the needs of children and young people with disabilities

Across the world countries are advocating the education of children and young people with disabilities in mainstream schools. There is also increasing interest in developing effective coordination of the specialist services pupils with disabilities receive from different agencies. This is accompanied by growing recognition that such care coordination can positively influence the experience of inclusion for children and their families. However, while the literature of care coordination generally includes education as a core provider, there is little evidence on involvement of education professionals and the outcomes for children and schools. These issues are addressed by the findings reported here on the role of key workers in care coordination and their relationship with schools. The findings draw on interviews with professionals from seven key worker services across England and Wales, parents and carers who were recipients of these services and teachers in schools serving children supported by key workers. These interviews are part of a wider multi‐method study exploring the effectiveness and costs of different models of key worker services for disabled children. The data reveal the range of education and school issues addressed by key workers and the factors influencing their work with teachers. The benefits for children, families and schools of key worker involvement are identified and the implications for schools explored. Consideration is also given to the advantages and disadvantages of teachers themselves taking on the role of key workers. It is argued that key workers can improve home–school relationships, facilitate the contribution of teachers in inter‐agency working, enable mainstream schools to better meet the individual needs of pupils with disabilities and improve their inclusive practice.