Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Education
Kaylynn Wilson - Bethune Cookman University
Co-Author(s): Ladoonya S. Drummond and Jeton McClinton, Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi Katharina Valero and Raphael D. Isokpehi, Bethune-Cookman University
Research Question: The central research question of the project is ‘What are the knowledge components that learners exhibit when performing learning transactions on biology topics? Knowledge components describe a mental structure or process that learners use, along with or combined with other knowledge components to accomplish steps in a task or a problem. Methods: Cognitive Tutors, a type of Intelligent Tutoring Systems, on biology topics and available at Open Learning Initiative (oli.cmu.edu) are was used to collect learning transactions that document domain knowledge, prerequisite knowledge, integrative knowledge, metacognitive knowledge, beliefs and interest. Results: We are assembling a suite of cognitive tutors with learning objectives that encompass biology topics including common themes in biology; cell metabolism; molecular basis of genetics; and statistics. Conclusions: Analytics of the learning transactions would help us identify patterns in the knowledge components.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): National science Foundation
Faculty Advisor: Raphael Isokpehi, isokpehir@cookman.edu
Role: Developed the research focus; identified relevant syllabus in cognitive tutors and collaborated to set up the tutor for use by undergraduate learners, conducted the literature reviews.