Evaluating a learning environment for case-based argumentation skills

Abstract

CAT0 is an intelligent learning environment designed to help &@ting law students learn basic skills of making arguments with cases, through practice in theory-testing and argumentation tasks. CAT0 models ways in which experts compare and contrast cases, assess the significance of similarities and differences between cases in light of general domain knowledge, and use the same general knowledge to organize multi-case arguments by issues. CAT0 communicates its model to students by presenting dynamically-generated argumentation examples and reifying (i.e., making visible) argument structure. Also, the CAT0 Tools reduce some of the distracting complexity of the students’ task. gal education seeks to teach. But they are difficult to learn and time-consuming to teach. If computer-based instruction can help students get some extra practice in basic skills and free up instructor’s time for more advanced topics, much would be gained. We evaluated CAT0 in the context of a second-semester Iegal writing course taught at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. We found that 7.5 hours of CAT0 instruction led to a statistically significant improvement in students’ basic argumentation skills, comparable to that achieved, in the same amount of time, by an experienced legal writing instructor teaching small groups of students in a more traditional way. On a more advanced memo-writing assignment, meant to explore the “frontier” of the CAT0 instruction, students taught by the legal writing instructor did better, indicating that more is needed if CAT0 is to help students to improve their memo-writing skills. CAT0 employs a computational model of case-based argumentation that addresses eight basic argument moves and more elaborate multi-case arguments. The model includes a “Factor Hierarchy,” which represents more nbstract., but still domain-specific, legal knowledge about the meaning of the factors used to represent cases. CAT0 uses the Factor Hierarchy for a number of purposes, among them to organize multi-case arguments by issues and to make arguments about the significance of distinctions. To generate the latter, CAT0 strategically selects alternative interpretations of cases to elaborate a “deeper” (or more. abstract) contrast or parallel between cases.