A Learner-centered Approach to the Design of Intelligent & Affective Scaffolds to
Accelerate Information and Computing Efficacy: A Proposal for CCI GRA
Peiling Wang, SIS
Brief Description of the Research Project
New and powerful information and computing technologies (ICT) are being rapidly
developed and upgraded for all domains. Too often, these ICT go unused or underutilized. Some
people avoid ICT and others find ICT hard to learn. To empower the current and future
workforce with the appropriate ICT skills, it is essential to adopt innovative teaching methods
and create effective training tools to encourage and support affective lifelong learning of ICT. A
learner-centered approach is important to the design of such methods and tools. In this proposed
pilot project, we seek to answer the questions from learners' perspective: Why are ICT hard to
learn? How do individual differences affect the transformation of conceptual understanding to
ICT skills? By observing the learning process, we can identify the factors contributing to the best
learning outcomes and develop strategies to transfer effective learning experiences across
learners. The objective of this project is to integrate research into teaching of the courses with
substantial ICT components. The ultimate goal is to design and develop intelligent and affective
learner-centered systems to accelerate building appropriate ICT efficacy and maximize the use of
ICT in various domains.
Gaps in building ICT efficacy exist between three levels: (1) understanding concepts—the
basic level; (2) applying concepts to specific application domains—the transit level; (3) solving
encountered problems in interacting with computer systems—the advanced level. Students who
do well in tests oriented toward rote memorization of definitions will have great difficulties in
completing lab assignments if they cannot map the concepts into appropriate procedures, or lack
strategies or tactics in dealing with unexpected problems when interacting with systems. ICT
skills must be built through a trial-error process, which is a private, lonely process. However,
certain errors perpetuate and often occur across individuals. Understanding how individual
learners move from each level to the next level can provide a solid basis for building learnercentered intelligent scaffold. These intelligent tools as an integral part of the ICT can understand
individual learners and are sensitive to their frustrations, thus will provide context-based
effective support to shorten the learning curve and accelerate skill building.
To conduct a systematic, rigorous observational study, two modes of observations will be
adopted depending on the courses during which the observation will be integrated. Both methods
will allow the participants to perform their computing assignments in their natural learning
environments:
Design I: Synchronous observations during computer lab sessions
Students will work on assignments in a normal computer lab. On the observational
computers, a screen capturing software MORAE (typically used in usability testing) will be
installed. The actual interactions during the completion of the assignment then will be observable
by researchers and instructors in a remote monitoring room. The processes will also be digitally
recorded for further analysis. The data to be recorded include video streams of temporal
interactions (key strokes, mouse moves, & screens), facial expressions and gestures (via a
Webcam), and context-prompted thoughts and comments (via popup textbox for input).
Peiling Wang—CCI GRA Proposal -- 2
Design II: Asynchronous observations outside of classroom in a virtual setting
Students will work on computer-based assignments and projects on their own schedules.
Participating students will use a laptop computer for all the course related work. Their learning
processes will be captured during the semester and recorded digitally. These students live
sessions can also be observed in the monitoring room. This is similar to a portable usability lab
setting. The data to be recorded include video streams of temporal interactions (key strokes,
mouse move, screens, etc.), facial expression and gesture (via a Webcam), context-prompted
thoughts and comments (via popup textbox for input or audio recording).
Potential External Grant Funding Sources
This project comprises several integral components and stages that will fit several
funding programs: (1) to develop methodologies to integrate research into teaching and learning
processes; (2) to translate our research results into system intelligence: how to model an
intelligent computer and information system to understand diverse learners' (users') cognitive
structures and emotional states; (3) to create and implement effective individualize-able tools to
accelerate building computing and information efficacies. The project will be extended beyond
academic environment to maximize the use of our results and methods to different learning and
training contexts: IT vocational education, K-12 teachers educational IT training, workforce
retraining, etc.
We will respond to the following CFPs:
Dec 10, 2007: NSF Computer & Information Science & Engineering— Information & Intelligent
Systems (< $450K) http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf07577
Feb 1, 2008: Institute for Museum and Library Service National Leadership Research & Demonstration
Grant (< $500K) http://www.imls.gov/applicants/grants/nationalLeadership.shtm
April 25, 2008: NSF Advanced Learning Technology (< $200K).
http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf06535
GRA Tasks Related to Research Project
Tasks that need assistance of GRA include




setting up data collection technologies
participating in data collection, processing, & analysis
assisting literature search and review
assisting in preparing grant proposals
Term of the Requested GRA Assignment
A full 2007-2008 academic year
Peiling Wang—CCI GRA Proposal -- 3
A List of My Research Publications for 2006-2007
Refereed publications:
1. Tenopir, Carol, Peiling Wang, Yan Zhang, et al (2007). Academic users' interaction with
ScienceDirect in search tasks: Affective and cognitive behaviors. Information Processing &
Management. [Online since December, 2006]
2. Wang, Peiling, et al. (2007) Mining Web search behaviors: Strategies and techniques for data
modeling and analysis. In Proceedings of ASIST 2007 Annual Meeting <available from
http://www.asist.org>
3. Wolfram, Dietmar., Peiling Wang, & Jin Zhang (2007). Modeling Web session behavior
using cluster analysis: A comparison of three search settings. In Proceedings of ASIST 2007
Annual Meeting <available from http://www.asist.org>
4. Wang, Peiling, D.A. Dervos, Yan Zhang, & Lei Wu 2007). Information-seeking behaviors of
academic researchers in the Internet Age: A user study in the Unite States, China and Greece.
In Proceedings of ASIST 2007 Annual Meeting <available from http://www.asist.org>
5. Wang, Peiling & D.A. Dervos (2007). Use of digital information resources and Internet
communication tools by academic researchers in the US, Greece and China. Proceedings of
the International Course and Conference Libraries in the Digital Age (Dubrovnik and Mljet,
Croatia, 28 May – 1 June 2007)
6. Wang, Peiling & Lei Wu (2007). Use of digital information sources and Internet
communication tools by academic researchers in US and China [Poster] The 29th Annual
Research Symposium (co-author with University Center, the University of Tennessee,
February 16, 2007
7. Wang, Peiling (2006). Information Behaviors of Academic Researchers in the Internet Era:
An Interdisciplinary & Cross-cultural Study. Proceedings of the 1st International Scientific
Conference eRA: The Information Technology to Science, Economy, Society & Education
(Cultural Center of Tripoli, Greece, 16-17 September 2006)
Grant reports
1. Wang, Peiling (2005-2007). Modeling Web Searching Behaviors and Designing New
Effective Interactions for Digital Libraries. IMLS National Leadership Grant LG-06-050100-05. Interim Report 1. [July 1, 2006]
2. Wang, Peiling (2005-2007). Modeling Web Searching Behaviors and Designing New
Effective Interactions for Digital Libraries. IMLS National Leadership Grant LG-06-050100-05. Interim Report 2. [December 31, 2006]
3. Wang, Peiling (2005-2007). Modeling Web Searching Behaviors and Designing New
Effective Interactions for Digital Libraries. IMLS National Leadership Grant LG-06-050100-05. Interim Report 3. [July 1, 2007]