Title: Student Associate
Performer(s):
Neil Jacobstein
Teknowledge
Barbara Hayes-Roth
Stanford University
Rick Hayes-Roth
Teknowledge
James Baumgart
Teknowledge
William R. Murray
Teknowledge
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Cluster: EAGIL
Contact Information:
Phone: 415-424-0500
Fax: 415-493-2645
email: njacobst@teknowledge.com
Phone: 415-723-0506
email: bhr@cs.stanford.edu
Phone: 415-424-0500
email: rhayes-roth@teknowledge.com
Phone: 415-424-0500
email: jbaumgar@teknowledge.com
Phone: 415-424-0500
email: wmurray@teknowledge.com
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1. Instructional Focus:
Content areas/topics: Not content specific; can be used across subject matter areas.
Process skills: Individual learning.
2. Target Population: Students in middle or upper school (grades 6 to 12).
3. Summary Description: The Student's Associate combines on-line network communication tools with knowledge-based planning and advice. The on-line tools provide email, calendar, and file transfer services to support student collaboration and on-line homework assignments. Email messages from the Parent's Associate or the Teacher's Associate can also be used to send directives to the Student's Associate such as recommended web sites to explore.
The knowledge-based tools assist the student in planning for academic study and assignments, in performing on-line research, in exploring academic interests, and in using an on-line multi-user domain. On-line tutoring systems, especially intelligent tutoring systems, can be made available for remedial or advanced instruction. The planning capabilities access on-line class assignments to initialize planning to prepare for upcoming tests and assignments.
The Student's Associate relies on an associate architecture, an agent-based architecture for performing collaborative tasks with a user. The knowledge-based tools of Student's Associate rely on a conceptual-graph model of the user, educational tasks, and educational resources. The architecture incorporates the BBK blackboard system, the M.4 expert system shell, and a distributed object transport layer.
4. Training and Staff Development:
- Teacher prerequisite skills/knowledge needed: Teachers would need to post class assignments, syllabi, and homework forms (e.g., lab reports, takehome tests, etc.) for best use of the Student's Associate connectivity and planning tools.
- Student prerequisite skills needed: Basic computer skills.
- Training needed/provided: None specified.
- Technical support needed/provided: None specified.
5. Technological/Resources Needed: The minimum requirement is access to a PC. Internet access is also required for most of the Student's Associate's tools.
6. Intended Outcomes:
Students: Students plan their time better. Homework can be done faster and more conveniently using the Student's Associate than on paper. Students access intelligent tutoring systems at home and improve performance as a result. The tutors, multi-user domains, and exploratory capabilities of the Student's Associate encourage students to explore new academic interests that they would not have done otherwise.
Teachers: Teachers post homework assignmnets and receive on-line submissions. Email improves student and teacher communications.
7. Instructional Time Required: Entering class assignments should take less than a half-hour a week.
8. Role of the Pilot Teacher(s): Teachers will provide input to performers regarding product.
9. Example(s) of the Use of this Product (Scenario):
Connectivity tools
- On-line homework: Using the Student's Associate, students fetch a lab assignment for their biology class. They make observations requested using an on-line simulation and then fill in their results. Finally, they submit the completed assignment to their teacher on-line.
Knowledge-based tools
- Weekly planning: After fetching this week's assignments, the student requests a study plan. The Student's Associate suggests a schedule with sufficient study time to prepare for Thursday's test in Physics, while providing time to finish the Biology assignment due Wednesday.
- Session planning: The Student's Associate suggests that the student first complete tomorrow's homework assignment, then study (off-line) for an upcoming test in physics, and then if they wish, come back to the Student's Associate to explore interesting web sites related to their academic interests.
- Intelligent tutors: The Student's Associate recommends that the student use the PUMP Algebra Tutor, since they are currently learning how toolve systems of linear equations in their algebra class and the PUMP tutor has lessons in this area. Other tutors, such as a geometry tutor, are not recommended for this student, as they do not match the student's current instructional objectives.
- Knowledge-based advisors: The Student's Associate has a list of academic advisors available. One recommends colleges based on career, finances, location, etc. Another recommends coursework to help prepare for a particular career goal.
