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Exploring AI intervention points in high-school engineering education: a research through co-design approach

Purpose Challenges in teaching the engineering design process (EDP) at the high-school level, such as promoting good documentation practices, are well-documented. While developments in educational artificial intelligence (AI) systems have the potential to assist in addressing these challenges, the open-ended nature of the EDP leads to challenges that often lack the specificity required for actionable AI development. In addition, conventional educational AI systems (e.g. intelligent tutoring systems) primarily target procedural domain tasks with well-defined outcomes and problem-solving strategies, while the EDP involves open-ended problems and multiple correct solutions, making AI intervention timing and appropriateness complex. Design/methodology/approach Authors conducted a six-week-long Research through Co-Design (RtCD) process (i.e. a co-design process rooted in Research through Design) with two experienced high-school engineering teachers to co-construct actionable insight in the form of AI intervention points (AI-IPs) in engineering education where an AI system can effectively intervene to support them while highlighting their pedagogical practices. Findings This paper leveraged the design of task models to iteratively refine our prior understanding of teachers’ experiences with teaching the EDP into three AI-IPs related to documentation, ephemeral interactions between teachers and students and disruptive failures that can serve as a focus for intelligent educational system designs. Originality/value This paper discusses the implications of these AI-IPs for designing educational AI systems to support engineering education as well as the importance of leveraging RtCD methodologies to engage teachers in developing intelligent educational systems that align with their needs and afford them control over computational interventions in their classrooms.

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Measuring upper-elementary students’ understanding of AI concepts – a Rasch model analysis

Purpose This paper aims to introduce a novel AI learning progression for upper-elementary students and aligns assessment items across levels of each construct to gather evidence of understanding. It also validates this quantitative measure by examining these items as two subscales for psychometric properties using the Rasch model. Design/methodology/approach Conducting a cognitive analysis of diverse data sources, including the AI4K12 big ideas (Touretzky et al., 2019), student performance on assessment items, and classroom activities from prior implementations of an AI curriculum intervention (Glazewski et al., 2022), and drawing insights from subject matter experts, this paper outlines the design of the learning progression. The second section delves into the refinement and mapping of assessment items and an evaluation of their psychometric properties to ensure the reliable placement of students within the progression. Findings This project identified key starting points for students and outlined how their understanding of core AI concepts should develop. The validation of the two subscales resulted in a reliable tool for accurately assessing students’ AI abilities. This tool helps educators match assessment questions to students’ current understanding and guide their progression through the learning journey. Originality/value This learning progression offers a unique framework for teaching AI to younger students, addressing a gap in K-12 education. It provides a roadmap for progressively teaching AI concepts, allowing educators to design lessons and assessments that are appropriate for students’ developmental stages.

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Beyond slides: the impact of gamified Web presentations on student cognitive load

Purpose This study aims to examine the effectiveness of Web-based interactive (WBI) presentations in reducing students’ cognitive load and increasing their situational interest in learning. Traditionally, many learning practices fail to optimize students’ cognitive resources by presenting irrelevant content and activities. However, practical learning approaches should minimize extraneous cognitive load and maximize germane load. Interactive Web presentations have the potential to do so by actively engaging students. Design/methodology/approach In total, 100 bachelor’s-level students enrolled in a graphic design course participated in this experimental study. In either individual or classroom settings, students were exposed to educational materials delivered via Web-based interactive presentations and traditional methods, using a 2 × 2 factorial design. Questionnaires that had been validated were used to assess cognitive load and situational interest. Findings The findings indicated that online interactive presentations, including slides with videos, simulations and quizzes, successfully decreased unnecessary mental effort while enhancing relevant mental effort and situational engagement compared to conventional approaches. Practical implications Using Web-based interactive educational presentations can optimize students’ cognitive resources, enhancing the learning process. Educators are encouraged to use their interactive capabilities when producing captivating online materials, as this can effectively decrease unnecessary cognitive load and heighten situational interest. Originality/value This research presents empirical evidence supporting the advantages of interactive Web presentations in enhancing learning outcomes. These presentations effectively guide students’ cognitive resources toward processing pertinent information and stimulating their interest in learning. Teachers are advised to use the interactive features of Web presentations to generate captivating and efficient lessons. Nevertheless, additional research is required to bolster the findings.

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A comparative exploration of virtual reality’s role in Mandarin intercultural communicative competence development

Purpose Intercultural communicative competence (ICC) is important when different cultural speakers learn Mandarin as a Foreign Language (MFL). The use of virtual reality (VR) has been shown to be effective for improving ICC. Hence, this study investigates a production-based instructional strategy where students use VR to view and create VR environments with cultural elements for learning MFL to determine if this strategy was effective with the current cohort of students (2023). In addition, it would be investigated whether there was a difference in ICC between the 2019 cohort and the 2023 cohort. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a quasi-experimental method to assess ICC using the Survey of student’s Intercultural Competence (SSIC) and gauged the improvement within the 2023 cohort. Next, the ICC between the 2023 and 2019 cohorts was compared to determine if there was a significant difference. Data was analysed using paired-samples t-tests and thematic analysis for the open-ended responses. Findings There was a significant improvement in ICC after the intervention for the 2023 cohort, which was supported with the open-ended response. However, the t-test results indicated no significant difference in ICC between the 2019 and 2023 cohorts. However, the 2023 cohort seemed to be more motivated, confident and eager to continue using VR. The findings indicate that VR when combined with an appropriate pedagogy could improve students ICC. Originality/value The use of VR and this production-based instructional strategy could be used in other languages and could possibly be used to improve linguistic and communication skills.

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Beyond fixed and growth mindsets: a holistic approach to growth and learning in education

Purpose This study aims to address the complexities of fixed and growth mindsets within educational settings and critique traditional assessment methods and interventions used in mindset research. It aims to develop a comprehensive approach – encompassing methodology, conception and practice – that incorporates mindsets within a broader growth orientation framework. Design/methodology/approach This research uses a holistic case study analysis of 14 higher education students, emphasizing their personal growth narratives. A uniquely designed course draws on person- and idea-centered principles that provide a rich environment to facilitate students’ growth. The analytical approach moves beyond standard mindset questionnaires by integrating self-awareness, cognitive biases and personal growth factors into a multidimensional growth orientation framework. Findings Results suggest that traditional mindset metrics may be indirectly related to actual growth orientations due to the influence of cognitive biases. This study finds that typical short, focused interventions may fail to reflect true changes in mindset, as they often do not engage with the broader personal growth orientations of the individuals involved. Originality/value This research is original in its application of a holistic and comprehensive approach to studying growth in education. By contextualizing mindsets within enriched learning environments that promote deep reflection and knowledge building, it provides new insights into how educational practices and research methodologies can better support authentic and sustained growth in learners.

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Empowering library and information science students as information literacy educators in librarianship professions: a study from Bangladesh

Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop a novel guided inquiry-based pedagogical practice embedded into regular library and information science (LIS) courses to improve LIS students’ information literacy (IL) in a developing country. Design/methodology/approach A guided inquiry-based pedagogical practice for IL instruction was introduced and embedded into two regular courses in an LIS school. The effectiveness of the new approach was evaluated in a longitudinal pre-test- and post-test-based teaching intervention with a control group. Findings All aspects of IL skills improved among the students participating in the teaching intervention showcasing the benefits of the inquiry-based pedagogical practice. In addition, the students in the intervention group learned the course subject content more in depth than students in the control group. However, no consistent learning benefits were achieved in IL knowledge, and only sporadic associations were found between IL knowledge and skills. Originality/value This study breaks new ground in IL teaching intervention in LIS schools. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first to apply an inquiry-based approach, embed teaching into more than one regular course, collect pre-test and post-test data to evaluate learning outcomes in IL knowledge and skills and control learning outcomes in subject contents.

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Users’ voice-switching behaviors, embodiments and perceptions of voice assistants

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate user voice-switching behavior in voice assistants (VAs), embodiments and perceived trust in information accuracy, usefulness and intelligence. The authors addressed four research questions: RQ1. What is the nature of users’ voice-switching behavior in VAs? RQ2: What are user preferences for embodied voice interfaces (EVIs), and do their preferred EVIs influence their decision to switch the voice on their VAs? RQ3: What are the users’ perceptions of their VAs concerning: a. information accuracy, b. usefulness, c. intelligence and d. the most important characteristics they must possess? RQ4: Do users prefer their voice interface to match their characteristics (age, gender, accent and race/ethnicity)?Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a 52-question survey questionnaire to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The population was undergraduate students (freshmen and sophomores) at a research university in the USA. The students were enrolled in two required courses with a research participation assignment offered for credits. Students must register for research participation credits in the SONA Research Participation System www.sona-systems.com/platform/research-management/ Registered students cannot be invited or sampled to participate in a research study. There were 1,700 students enrolled in both courses. After the survey’s URL was posted in SONA, the authors received (n = 632) responses. Of these, (n = 150) completed the survey and provided valid responses.FindingsParticipants (43%) switched the voice interface in their VAs. They preferred American and British accents but trusted the latter. The British accent with a male voice was more trusted than the American accent with a female voice. Voice-switching decisions varied in the case of most and least preferred EVIs. Participants preferred EVIs that matched their characteristics. Most trusted their VAs’ information accuracy because they used the internet to find information, reflecting inadequate mental models. Lack of trust is attributed to misunderstanding requests and inability to respond accurately. A significant correlation was found between the participants’ perceived intelligence of their VAs and trust in information accuracy.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the wide variability in the data (e.g. 84% White, 6% Asian and 6% Black), the authors did not perform a statistical test to identify the significance between the selected EVIs and participants’ races or ethnicities. The self-reported survey questionnaire may be prone to inaccuracy. The participants’ interest in earning research credit for participation in this study and using SONA is a potential bias. The EVIs the authors used as embodiments are limited in their representation of people from diverse backgrounds, races, ethnicities, ages and genders. However, they could be examples for building prototypes to test in VAs.Practical implicationsEducators and information professionals should lead the way in offering artificial intelligence (AI) literacy programs to enable young adults to form more adequate mental models of VAs and support their learning and interactions. VA designers should address the failures and other issues the participants experienced in VAs to minimize frustrations. They should also train machine learning models on large data sets of complex queries to augment success. Furthermore, they should consider augmenting VAs’ personification with EVIs to enrich voice interactions and enhance personalization. Researchers should use a mixed research method with data triangulation instead of only a survey.Social implicationsThere is a dire need to teach young adults AI literacy skills to enable them to build adequate mental models of VAs. Failures in VAs could affect users’ willingness to use them in the future. VAs can be effective teaching and learning tools, supporting students’ autonomous and personalized learning. Integrating EVIs with diverse characteristics could advance inclusivity in designing VAs and support personalization beyond language, accent and gender.Originality/valueThis study advances research on user voice-switching behavior in VAs, which has hardly been investigated in VA research. It brings attention to users’ experiential learning and the need for exposure to AI literacy to enable them to form adequate mental models of VAs. This study contributes to research on personifying VAs through EVIs with diverse characteristics to visualize voice interactions. Reasons for not switching the voice interface due to satisfaction with the current voice or a lack of knowledge of this feature did not support the status quo theory. Incorporating satisfaction and lack of knowledge as new factors could advance this theory. Switching the voice interface to avoid visualizing the least preferred EVIs in VAs is a new theme emerging from this study. Users’ trust in VAs’ information accuracy is intertwined with perceived intelligence and usefulness, but perceived intelligence is the strongest factor influencing trust.

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Assessing changes in thinking about troubleshooting in physical computing: a clinical interview protocol with failure artifacts scenarios

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine how a clinical interview protocol with failure artifact scenarios can capture changes in high school students’ explanations of troubleshooting processes in physical computing activities. The authors focus on physical computing, as finding and fixing hardware and software bugs is a highly contextual practice that involves multiple interconnected domains and skills.Design/methodology/approachThis paper developed and piloted a “failure artifact scenarios” clinical interview protocol. Youth were presented with buggy physical computing projects over video calls and asked for suggestions on how to fix them without having access to the actual project or its code. Authors applied this clinical interview protocol before and after an eight-week-long physical computing (more specifically, electronic textiles) unit. They analyzed matching pre- and post-interviews from 18 students at four different schools.FindingsThe findings demonstrate how the protocol can capture change in students’ thinking about troubleshooting by eliciting students’ explanations of specificity of domain knowledge of problems, multimodality of physical computing, iterative testing of failure artifact scenarios and concreteness of troubleshooting and problem-solving processes.Originality/valueBeyond tests and surveys used to assess debugging, which traditionally focus on correctness or student beliefs, the “failure artifact scenarios” clinical interview protocol reveals student troubleshooting-related thinking processes when encountering buggy projects. As an assessment tool, it may be useful to evaluate the change and development of students’ abilities over time.

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