Out of the Fr-"Eye"-ing Pan: Towards gaze-based models of attention during learning with technology in the classroom

Stephen Hutt, Caitlin Mills, Nigel Bosch, Kristina Krasich, James Brockmole, Sidney D'mello

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Attention is critical to learning. Hence, advanced learning technologies should benefit from mechanisms to monitor and respond to learners' attentional states. We study the feasibility of integrating commercial off-The-shelf (COTS) eye trackers to monitor attention during interactions with a learning technology called GuruTutor. We tested our implementation on 135 students in a noisy computer-enabled high school classroom and were able to collect a median 95% valid eye gaze data in 85% of the sessions where gaze data was successfully recorded. Machine learning methods were employed to develop automated detectors of mind wandering (MW) -A phenomenon involving a shift in attention from task-related to task-unrelated thoughts that is negatively correlated with performance. Our student-independent, gaze-based models could detect MW with an accuracy (F1 of MW = 0.59) significantly greater than chance (F1 of MW = 0.24). Predicted rates of mind wandering were negatively related to posttest performance, providing evidence for the predictive validity of the detector. We discuss next steps towards developing gaze-based, attention-Aware, learning technologies that can be deployed in noisy, real-world environments.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationUMAP 2017 - Proceedings of the 25th Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
Pages94-103
Number of pages10
ISBN (Electronic)9781450346351
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 9 2017
Event25th ACM International Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation, and Personalization, UMAP 2017 - Bratislava, Slovakia
Duration: Jul 9 2017Jul 12 2017

Publication series

NameUMAP 2017 - Proceedings of the 25th Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization

Conference

Conference25th ACM International Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation, and Personalization, UMAP 2017
Country/TerritorySlovakia
CityBratislava
Period7/9/177/12/17

Keywords

  • Attention-Aware learning
  • Cyberlearning
  • Eye-gaze
  • Intelligent tutoring systems
  • Mind wandering

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Software

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