CSE 590D Autumn 2006

Computer-Based Learning Environments

Focus this quarter: generalized authoring methods and tools
Faculty coordinator: Steven Tanimoto 
Meeting location: MGH 234
Meeting time: Wed. 4:00-5:00

Description:

This quarter the seminar considers the issue of "authoring" for online
learning environments, including intelligent tutoring systems and
diagnostic educational assessment systems.  In the past, authoring for
computer-based educational systems meant, for the most part, creating
page or card-based presentations of text and other media clips and
linking them together with multiple-choice or similar assessment
items.  During the 1990s, alternative pedagogical approaches gained
currency: collaborative learning, learning by discovery and
exploration, knowledge building with online forum-like tools, etc.
Authoring in the context of such approaches must take on radically new
aspects.  We'll be concerned with these aspects.  Some of the more
specific issues include the design of tools that help teachers and
courseware authors to

1. formulate content
2. express pedagogical policies
3. build assessment rule databases
4. direct the behavior of intelligent agents that
   operate in computer-based educational systems,
   including student-teachable agents
5. control the transparency of pedagogical decision making
6. adjust incentives and disincentives for collaboration
7. create diagram-evaluation criteria

On the basis of discussions over the summer, it appears we will once
again have a nice balance of participation from folks with backgrounds
in both computer science and engineering on the one hand and education
on the other hand.  The activity format of the seminar is reading and
discussion.  Each week, we read a recent paper from the literature
and one person volunteers to present a summary of the paper and
lead the discussion.  This quarter, most of our papers will be
drawn from the proceedings of recent conferences in two series:
AIED (Artificial Intelligence in EDucation) and ITS (Intelligent
Tutoring Systems).

Most students register for one credit. CSE graduate students can
register directly online. Other graduate students should send me an
email request for registration that I can forward to the CSE advisors.
There are no prerequisites, but advanced undergraduates interested in
the seminar should talk with me.

Feel free to contact me or any of the following people if you have
questions: Dr. Daryl Lawton (Cognitive Studies in Education program
and LIFE Center, ilovewindows @ msn.com), Joan Davis (Cognitive
Studies in Education program and LIFE Center, joand @ u.washington.edu),
Sandra Fan (CSE, sbfan @ cs.washington.edu), Tyler Robison (CSE,
trobison @ cs.washington.edu).

Steve Tanimoto

Updates to this information will be posted at the following URL:
http://www.cs.washington.edu/education/courses/cse590d/06au/