Megha
Cynthia
Shyam
Hannah
Jen
What is it?
 Carnegie Learning, Inc.
 Math curriculum
 Cognitive tutor is software
 For middle & high schools as well as homeschooling
and tutoring
How was it Developed?
 Founded by cognitive science researchers at CMU
 Researchers teamed up with math teachers
 Used scientific research & field studies
 ACT-R theory of learning, memory & performance
Background
 Introduced by John R. Anderson, a cognitive scientist
at CMU, in the 1970s; wanted to create a model for how
students process and learn information.
 Have been commercialized since 1993
 1998- Mr. Anderson, Mr. Koedinger, and research
partners formed Carnegie Learning Inc. to promote
cognitive tutoring nationwide
 LISTEN- system developed by Carnegie Mellon
researcher Jack Mostow
 Uses speech-synthesizing technology to “listen” to
students read and give them feedback
 Cognitive tutors- now used in over 1,500 districts
nationwide and are very successful in teaching students
math, genetics, and other subjects.
Benefits
- Cognitive tutors reduce educational costs by reducing the need for human
instructors
- Intelligent tutoring systems also increase the productivity of the learning
experience by tailoring the process to the child’s needs
-
The user is able to learn at his/her own pace
- “Cognitive tutoring systems have been shown to
bring students 1-sigma or more above standard
instructional methods.”
- The system enables and encourages self-assessment
Criticisms
 If, eventually, the cognitive tutoring system takes over
the education field and human teachers are rendered
obsolete, children will lose many of the personal and
social skills they develop during teacher and student
interactions.
 There is no guarantee that the cognitive tutors
assessment of the student is correct and this may cause
the student to not get an appropriate level of
education.
Opinion
 The implementation of
cognitive tutors in schools
around the United States has
become an complete success.
No one can deny the positive
nature of the software. It has
now been deemed one of the
most effective approaches to
learning math.
 “Both teachers and
students have been
enthusiastic about tutor
use as part of the
algebra curriculum.”
(Carnegie Mellon Today).
In fact, Professor of
Computer Science and
Robotics Raj Reddy
believes education
technology can cure
many of the world’s ills.
Sources
 http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/04/02/31intell
igent.h26.html
 http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/020308/020308_janders
on.html
 http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi
?artid=2213473
 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleUR
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