Computer Sciences Commons^™

Designing Accessible Ui/Ux For Epileptic Patients: A Scalable Solution For Music Therapy Delivery, Amethyst G.H. Mckenzie

Computer Science Senior Theses

How can we design an accessible, scalable UI/UX system tailored to the cognitive, visual, and motor impairments of epileptic patients, that ensures safe and effective interactions with music therapy applications? This research explores the intersection of accessibility, user-centred design, and digital health, using an iterative design process to develop and refine the SONATA app—a clinically deployable music therapy platform.

Through two prototype iterations, usability testing, and quantitative event logging, this study compares the effectiveness of structured versus flexible navigation in improving user experience. Key findings reveal that structured navigation reduces unintended detours, while progressive disclosure techniques enhance instructional clarity. Additionally, …

Best Strategies For Bilingual Education: How Can We Explain Their Success?, Claudia Cabrera, Olga Kosheleva, Christian Servin, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

When designing AI-based tools for education, it is important to take into account the experience of human teachers. In this, it is necessary to distinguish between the education features that are justified by the general features of the corresponding education task -- these features should be taken into account in AI-based learning as well -- and features which are specific for traditional non-AI teaching. In this paper, on the important example of bilingual education, we show that several empirically successful teaching strategies can be explained in the general context -- and thus, should be implemented in AI-based teaching as well.

Collaborative Ai: Oer Materials For Exploring Ai As A Partner Rather Than A Tool, David Smith

Open Educational Resources

The Collaborative AI Open Educational Resource (OER) explores how artificial intelligence can act as a creative and analytical collaborator rather than a tool. Centered on the Balanced Blended Space (BBS) framework and the philosophy of the Center for Holistic Integration (CHI), the OER includes curriculum materials, theoretical models, and live research environments. It offers an interesting approach to blending physical, virtual, and conceptual spaces through shared human–AI agency and invites ongoing participation in interdisciplinary meta-projects.

Evaluating Educational Benefits Of A Custom Cyber Game: ‘Hvac Attack!’, Jillian S. Valente

Theses and Dissertations

Cyber competition and conflict remain an enduring concern for the Department of Defense (DoD). Positive control of cyberspace is crucial across the vast diversity of military operations and supporting activities. Military members play an important role in cyber prevention, detection, and remediation, but most receive relatively little training outside of the annual Cyber Awareness Challenge. Particular career fields within the DoD may benefit from specialized training in cybersecurity, in particular the civil engineering (CE) community supporting critical infrastructure protection. Prior research has suggested that game-based learning (GBL) can be beneficial for teaching cyber concepts.

Evaluating Learning Outcomes In A Serious Game: A Practical And Model Checking Approach, Matthew D. Douglas

Theses and Dissertations

This research introduces a novel computational framework to evaluate and predict the educational impact of serious games during development. By using finite state machines (FSM) and model-checking techniques, this study evaluates two serious games. Traditional evaluation approaches, often reliant on resource-intensive human trials, lack scalability and fail to provide early insight into the alignment of game mechanics with learning objectives. This study addresses these challenges of traditional evaluation methods.

Learning: Human Versus Machine, Sanjay Sarma

Asian Management Insights

Outdated education paradigms must be revamped to reclaim the all-important human quality: agency.

Sanjay Sarma, CEO, President, and Dean of the Asia School of Business, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the Fred Fort Flowers (1941) and Daniel Fort Flowers (1941) Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), shares insights on the artificial intelligence (AI)-agency revolution and how the human brain works.

Exploring Ai Technology In Grammar Performance Testing For Children With Learning Disabilities, Dimitra V. Katsarou, Evangelos Mantsos, Soultana Papadopoulou, Maria Sofologi, Efthymia Efthymiou, Ilias Vasileiou, Kalliopi Megari, Maria Theodoratou, Georgios A. Kougioumtzis

All Works

The study explores the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in addressing grammar challenges among children with learning disabilities, aiming to assess the efficacy of an AI-driven tool for personalized interventions. A sample of 100 children aged 8–12, diagnosed with learning disabilities, was recruited from special education programs. Participants were divided into an experimental group (n = 50), which used an AI-based grammar assessment tool with personalized feedback, and a control group (n = 50), which completed conventional paper-based grammar tests without feedback. The AI tool administered adaptive grammar tasks, including sentence correction and verb conjugation, and performance was evaluated over …

Reimagining Education: Keeping The Human In The Loop, Pradeep Varakantham, Sidney Tio

Asian Management Insights

How educators can work with generative artificial intelligence models to improve learning. Artificial intelligence (AI) helps break the mould of one-size-fits-all education by creating personalised learning paths that adapt to each student’s pace and style. By combining human expertise with AI capabilities, educators can create learning experiences that are both structured and flexible, thus getting the best of both worlds. While promising, AI used in educational contexts must carefully navigate privacy concerns, ensure fairness across all student groups, and support appropriate learning progression.

Using Ai To Make Accessible Accessible Content, Melinda Turner

Faculty Other Scholarly Works

This professional development session will explore how to leverage AI tools, specifically Google’s NotebookLM, to create accessible learning materials for college students. Participants will learn how to use NotebookLM to transform existing content into more accessible formats. The session will cover practical strategies for implementing AI to improve readability and comprehension for all learners including students with disabilities, non-native English speakers, and students with varying learning preferences. We will discuss how to create transcripts for audio/video files and ensure content is well-organized and easy to navigate. This session will also highlight the importance of evidence-based practices in content creation and …

Chatgpt Didn’T Write This: Evaluating The Impact Of Llms With A Case Study In Grading Cuny Language Immersion Program Student Essays, Benjamin Inbar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This study evaluates the capabilities and limitations of large language models (LLMs), specifically OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4o, in grading essays from students in the City University of New York’s Language Immersion Program. The program serves English language learners with diverse linguistic and demographic backgrounds, offering intensive language instruction to prepare students for academic success in college. Using a dataset of 30 pre- and post-program essays scored by program instructors and ChatGPT-4o under three paradigms, this research explores the alignment between human and AI-generated scores across five rubric-based competency areas. Findings reveal that ChatGPT-4o aligns moderately with human grading, with the strongest agreement …

In Memoriam - Nora Sabelli: Master Orchestrator Of Grant Programs And Mentor For Advancing The Interdisciplinary Learning Sciences Field, Eric Hamilton, Jeremy Roschelle, Roy Pea, Barbara Means, Louis Gomez, Kim Gomez, Nancy Butler Songer

Education Division Scholarship

On Friday, September 6, 2024, the learning sciences field lost a giant in Dr. Nora Sabelli, 87 years old, a personal mentor to many researchers and an inspiration to so many learning scientists and STEM leaders. Nora’s first professional career was as a computational chemist, and later she became a passionate leader in research for improving STEM education. Nora’s time as a senior program officer at the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Education and Human Resources (EHR) directorate was legendary; she was a force of nature who reshaped funding priorities for stronger science and a stronger connection of science to education …

Exploring School Teachers' Cyber Security Awareness, Experiences, And Practices In The Digital Age, R Ravichandran, Sonam Singh, P Sasikala

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This study investigates the awareness and practices of cyber security among school teachers, exploring their understanding of cyber threats, online behaviours, and response mechanisms to cyber incidents. A structured questionnaire was administered to gather data on demographic information, cyber security training, online practices, and experiences with cybercrime. The findings reveal varying levels of awareness among teachers, with many reporting limited knowledge of prevalent cyber threats such as phishing and identity theft. Despite the increasing reliance on digital tools for teaching, a significant number of respondents indicated a lack of formal training in cyber security. The study highlights the necessity for …

Playing The Digital Dialectic Game: Writing Pedagogy With Generative Ai, Rebekah Shultz Colby

University Writing Program: Faculty Scholarship

This article explores teaching writing with generative AI as critical play where students and teachers engage in an ethically dialectical and aleatory game with generative AI. I qualitatively surveyed 24 writing teachers about how they teach writing with generative AI as well as its advantages and disadvantages. I discovered that teachers used generative AI to teach about the ethics of generative AI's design and rhetorical use to avoid plagiarism. Teachers also critically played with generative AI to teach the writing process of invention, drafting, revision, and editing. Specifically, the critical, dialectical interplay of human and machine invents in aleatory and …

Techmate: A Toolkit For Advancing Gender Equality In Computing Education, Alina Berry

Academic Posters Collection

To address the issue of gender inequality in computing education.

To inspire and guide institutions to implement change and track progress with easy to follow guidance.

To provide champions with useful and easy to access resources.

Computing In The Commonwealth: Specialized Education In Computer Science And Information Technology For High School Students In Virginia – An Environmental Scan, Amy Corning, Jonathan D. Becker, Jon Graham, James Carrigan, Keisha Tennessee

ICRE Publications

Over the past two decades, Virginia has invested substantially in STEM education, in part through specialized programs focused on computer science and information technology (CS/IT). This study represents the first effort to identify Virginia’s specialized secondary CS/IT programs and examine them collectively. Findings from the statewide environmental scan indicate that the programs are delivered through a wide variety of institutional structures, including Governor’s STEM Academies, Governor’s Schools, specialty centers, and academies, but most often through Career and Technical Education (CTE) centers. Programs tend to be concentrated in metropolitan areas, and some rural divisions may not be served. The programs provide …

Chalkboards To Chatbots: Helping Faculty Harness Ai For The Future Of Higher Education, Justin C. Grace

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into nursing education presented significant opportunities yet posed challenges due to varied faculty readiness. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement (QI) project evaluated an educational intervention aimed at enhancing nursing faculty's AI proficiency and confidence at Regis University’s Rueckert-Hartman College for Health Professions. Using a mixed-methods, pre- and post-intervention design, validated surveys assessed changes in faculty perceptions, knowledge, and skills related to AI. The intervention included a digital toolkit with nine instructional videos demonstrating practical AI applications using FreedAI’s large language model, ChatGPT, supported by voiceover narration and closed captioning. Data analysis involved descriptive …

Navigating Artificial Intelligence: How Traditional Midwestern Four-Year Higher Education Institution Distance Learning Programs Are Addressing Artificial Intelligence, Eric Samaritoni

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

AI's rapid evolution and integration into society has had and will continue to influence how distance education programs teach their students profoundly. This study aimed to explore the opinions of higher education distance education Provost administrators, program managers, directors, department chairs, and other subject matter experts on the perceived impact of AI in the classroom. This study used a qualitative, phenomenological approach to examine how AI impacts students, faculty, program delivery, institutional policies, and university budgets. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 13 faculty members meeting the criteria to answer research questions based on their experience or observations. The study used …

The Impact Of Llms Usage On Learning Outcomes For Software Development Students: A Focus On Prompt Engineering, Mohammed Owaidh Aljohani

CGU Theses & Dissertations

This study investigates the impact of large language model (LLM) usage, specifically ChatGPT, on student learning outcomes in programming education. The research adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative survey data from students and qualitative interviews with instructors. The study addresses three research questions: (1) the effect of LLM usage on undergraduate students' learning outcomes, (2) the influence of prompt engineering skills on this relationship, and (3) instructors' perceptions on these relationships. Quantitative data were collected from 159 students across two Saudi universities using a structured online survey with sections covering demographic information, LLM usage, self-reported programming understanding, and prompt engineering …

Ally With Ai: An Icebreaker To Unlock Career Aspirations For Online Or Hybrid Organizational Behavior Cohorts, Jyro B. Triviño

Leadership and Strategy Faculty Publications

Modern organizational behavior classroom, which are increasing in size, diversity, and complexity, are shifting to online and hybrid learning environments, challenging the use of traditional icebreaker activities. This paper introduces a 15-minute icebreaker designed to address these issues while integrating the principles of Kolb's experiential learning theory and fostering social capital through peerr engagement in an online setting. By leveraging the availability of generative AI, students prompt a template code to unlock their career aspirations and stimulate social connections among their classmates. This provides an innovative teaching model for meeting the foundational icebreaker goal while serving a suitable tool for …

Teaching Object-Oriented Design Through Interactive Uml: A Dual-Approach Framework For Code-Based Generation And Direct Diagram Manipulation, Moses Kayuni

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis introduces an interactive educational framework for teaching object-oriented design through UML class diagrams. The framework implements a dual-approach methodology: code-based generation, where students write Java code that automatically transforms into UML diagrams, and direct diagram manipulation, where students build diagrams by interacting with highlighted terms in problem descriptions. This approach addresses common challenges in teaching UML, including cognitive load difficulties, visualization problems, and the disconnect between code implementation and visual design. Built on the Mermaid diagramming framework, the system features a React frontend for diagram creation and manipulation, and a Flask backend that handles some code parsing and …

Extending A Pretrained Language Model (Bert) Using An Ontological Perspective To Classify Students' Scientific Expertise Level From Written Responses, Heqiao Wang, Kevin C. Haudek, Amanda D. Manzanares, Chelsie L. Romulo, Emily A. Royse, Caterina B. Azzarello

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

The complex and interdisciplinary nature of scientific concepts presents formidable challenges for students in developing their knowledge-in-use skills. The utilization of computerized analysis for evaluating students' contextualized constructed responses offers a potential avenue for educators to develop personalized and scalable interventions, thus supporting the current teaching and learning of science. While prior research in artificial intelligence has demonstrated the effectiveness of algorithms, including Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), in tasks like automated classifications of constructed responses, these efforts have predominantly leaned towards text-level features, often overlooking the exploration of conceptual ideas embedded in students' responses from a cognitive perspective. …

Future Of Bse Days 2025: Growing A Regenerative Bse, Derek M. Heeren, Santosh Pitla, Jennifer R. Keshwani, Mark Stone

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

The Future of BSE Days 2025: Growing a Regenerative BSE brought together over 150 faculty, staff, students, and partners to envision the next quarter-century of the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. The event emphasized regeneration—not only of resources and ecosystems, but also of ideas, learning models, and relationships. Across seven major sessions—three Spark Talks and four Pillar Workshops—participants explored how BSE can thrive amid technological disruption, demographic change, and societal transformation.

Key Outcomes

Redefining Impact: This session challenged participants to evolve from counting outputs to valuing relationships, collaboration, and community well-being.

Adaptive Learning Models: This discussion introduced design studios, micro-credentials, …

Artificial Intelligence In Achieving Sustainable Development: Expectations Of Undergraduate Students, Jinhee Kim

STEMPS Faculty Publications

While there has been ample discussion regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI)’s contributions and challenges on the development agenda at the policy level, little is known about how students translate the potential and barriers of AI in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Drawing upon various qualitative data, including class observation, focus group interviews, and learning activity outcomes generated by 240 students across 7 different majors, this case study explores the expected roles of AI as well as barriers to AI adoption for sustainable development perceived by undergraduate students. The study revealed that students anticipated AI to play diverse roles, including data analyst, …

Examining Non-Traditional Online Learners' Ownership Of Learning In The Context Of Chatgpt-Facilitated Design, Mohan Yang, Tian Luo, Kristin Herman, Belle Li, Shanan Chappell Moots, Noah Glaser, Shiyan Jiang

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) offers potential solutions to educational challenges by personalizing learning experiences for diverse learners. However, it also introduces complexities around issues of ownership of learning. As an indicator of empowered learning, ownership is a multifaceted but underexplored concept. In this study, the authors adopted a mixed-methods multiple-case study design to explore non-traditional online students’ perceived ownership of learning when using ChatGPT for instructional design. The authors adopted the psychology ownership construct consisting of self-efficacy, accountability, belongingness, and self-identity as the theoretical framework. Findings revealed students’ prior AI experiences and educational levels played a significant role in their …

Embracing Ai In Higher Education: Redefining Teaching And Learning In The Digital Era, Najem Tala, Leila Halawi

Publications

This research explores the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, focusing on its ability to address emerging challenges and revolutionize teaching practices. We critically assess the current educational landscape, evaluate AI's role as a catalyst for educational reform, and examine implementation challenges. Our analysis emphasizes the evolving impact of AI on personalized learning, student engagement, and administrative efficiency and contributes to the growing body of literature on educational technology. The discussion highlights both the opportunities and limitations of AI in education, pointing to critical areas that remain underexplored.

A Framework For Mixed Reality Within Healthcare Education, Benyamin Ebadinia

Theses

Understanding complex three-dimensional systems and spatial relationships is a recurring difficulty in healthcare education, where students are often expected to reason about internal structures and multi-system processes from 2D diagrams, textbook figures, and static mannequins. This thesis presents the design, implementation, and mixed-methods evaluation of Systems Simulation, a reusable mixed reality (MR) application intended to help undergraduate nursing students explore human anatomy and pathophysiology using immersive 3D visualization.

Built in C# with the StereoKit framework for Microsoft HoloLens 2, Systems Simulation organizes nine anatomical body systems within a shared application. Learners can select a system, anchor the model in their …

Problem-Centered Post-Secondary Computer Science Education: A Study Of The Private Artificial Intelligence Curriculum, Golnoush Haddadian, Prajwal Panzade, Daniel Takabi, Min Kyu Kim

School of Cybersecurity Faculty Publications

In response to the demand for Artificial Intelligence (AI) experts, this study introduced a curriculum development initiative. The aim was to design and implement a Private AI curriculum to understand the computer science (CS) students’ evaluations of the curricular activities and their levels of interest and motivation. Twenty-five students, a mix of undergraduates and graduates, were recruited and a scaled-down version of the curriculum was implemented. A parallel mixed-methods approach was employed. The results reinforced the significance of problem-centered curricula in CS context. Students rated the curricular activities highly and demonstrated strong motivation; however, graduates expressed more favorable view of …

A Framework For Developing Collaborative Community Building Tools For Novice Computer Science Students, Daniel Olivares, Jakob Kubicki, Katie Imhof

Computer Science Faculty Scholarship

Students enrolled in introductory computer science courses tend towards individual work because of pedagogical practices discouraging collaboration and a focus on individual assignments. This can discourage new computer science students and may negatively affect persistence in computer science. In contrast, social learning theory research suggests a connection between student success and their level of involvement with peers, instructors, and in the greater learning community. Motivated by these contrasting conclusions, the research presented in this paper puts forth a framework based on social learning theories and teaching and learning methodologies to leverage social computing as a learning tool. This framework’s primary …

Exploring The Impact Of Generative Ai Chatgpt On Critical Thinking In Higher Education: Passive Ai-Directed Use Or Human-Ai Supported Collaboration?, Nesma Ragab Nasr, Chih-Hsiung Tu, Jennifer Werner, Tonia Bauer, Cherng-Jyh Yen, Laura Sujo-Montes

STEMPS Faculty Publications

Generative AI is weaving into the fabric of many human aspects through its transformative power to mimic human-generated content. It is not a mere technology; it functions as a generative virtual assistant, raising concerns about its impact on cognition and critical thinking. This mixed-methods study investigates how GenAI ChatGPT affects critical thinking across cognitive presence (CP) phases. Forty students from a four-year university in the southwestern United States completed a survey; six provided their ChatGPT scripts, and two engaged in semi-structured interviews. Students’ self-reported survey responses suggested that GenAI ChatGPT improved triggering events (M = 3.60), exploration (M = 3.70), …

Towards Dynamic Learner State: Orchestrating Ai Agents And Workplace Performance Via The Model Context Protocol, Mohan Yang, Nolan Lovett, Belle Li, Zhen Hou

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Current learning and development approaches often struggle to capture dynamic individual capabilities, particularly the skills they acquire informally every day on the job. This dynamic creates a significant gap between what traditional models think people know and their actual performance, leading to an incomplete and often outdated understanding of how ready the workforce truly is, which can hinder organizational adaptability in rapidly evolving environments. This paper proposes a novel dynamic learner-state ecosystem—an AI-driven solution designed to bridge this gap. Our approach leverages specialized AI agents, orchestrated via the Model Context Protocol (MCP), to continuously track and evolve an individual’s multi-dimensional …