Komma

Enhancing online science discussions with Clair, a Collaborative Learning Agent for Interactive Reasoning

Conversation agents (aka chatbots) are systems that are based on artificial intelligence and are able to converse with humans in natural language. Most of us have already experienced the capabilities (and pitfalls) of such agents either when using the personal assistant of our phones, or trying to resolve an issue with a bill online. The applications of such agents increase rapidly, while the leaps of technological advances make them better and better.

For example, in the context of education, teachers often find it difficult to provide adequate support for discussions among different groups in online activities. Collaborative conversational agents have been suggested as a solution to this problem by promoting productive conversation in small-group discussions through the use of theoretically-grounded interventions. “Clair”, has been developed at UT/BMS as a helpful agent that participates in the discussion of two (or more) students and intervenes when necessary to make the discussion more productive.

During the workshop, we are going to discuss the nature and theoretical underpinnings of conversational agents, especially in the field of collaborative learning. Then a hands-on activity with Clair will allow you to experience the affordances that this agent offers. And finally, discuss the benefits and limitations of using Clair in different educational settings.

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