Using Artificial Intelligence to Generate Interventions for Enhancing Student Performance in College STEM Courses

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln NE

Investigators

Abstract

This project aims to serve the national interest by designing, developing, and evaluating a novel platform to improve academic performance in undergraduate STEM courses. The “Messages from A Future You” (MFAFY) application will send students just-in-time messages via a smartphone to create a coaching relationship with a future self or other student-selected avatar. The timing and content of these messages will be automatically generated using artificial intelligence based on student scores, attitudes, behaviors, and social interactions. Students who face academic difficulties, and are hesitant to take advantage of formal advising, will benefit from this personalized delivery system. The MFAFY system will contribute to a strong STEM workforce by increasing retention rates, and by improving both the number and quality of STEM degree students. The data collected by the application will add to understanding of the types of experiences faced by undergraduate students. This project will synthesize data on socio-economic factors, science identity, in-course assessments, and fine-grained multidimensional measures of daily attitudes, behaviors, and social interactions. Data will be collected using the ODIN app which prompts students based on rules referencing time/date, location (GPS), and social interaction (Bluetooth). Data will be clustered to discover a typology of student “stories” (experiential trajectories). Counselors will customize messages for each story type, over the semester. The MFAFY app will incorporate machine learning models which forecast story type, together with these messages. MFAFY will be evaluated via a randomized controlled effectiveness trial. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.