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Advances of Sensors and Human-Centered Intelligent Systems in Education

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Intelligent Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 September 2024) | Viewed by 13897

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Computer Engineering and Systems, University of La Laguna, 38204 La Laguna, Spain
Interests: human-computer interaction; intelligent tutoring systems; intelligent interfaces; human-centered design; UX; serious games; gamification; digital culture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This special issue has the goal of exploring the main applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education, such as Intelligent Tutorial Systems, Intelligent Teaching Systems Distributed over the Internet, Learning Analytics, Educational Datamining, Recommender Systems, among others, and intelligent systems that focus on people-centered design. Currently, intelligent systems have spread through the paradigm of ubiquitous computing and IoT, integrating diverse devices and sensors that must interact to provide personalized responses at each time, place and for each type of user or groups of users. We wish to analyze the main issues that arise in their design and what techniques are used to create the process of adapting the system to the user, how the data is treated, what cognitive and computational models, as well as what algorithms are used and what effectiveness they have demonstrated. We also wish to explore the main lines of research that currently focus the attention of professionals in this field, considering that we are in a multidisciplinary area. Therefore, this special issue is interested in the presentation of technological solutions and systems related to the emerging areas of human-centric intelligent systems. Topics covered include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Intelligent system design and evaluation
  • Educational mobile, ubiquitous and pervasive sensing
  • Educational Datamining
  • Learning analytics
  • Recommender Systems
  • Applications in education
  • Human-centric data and management
  • Information modelling
  • User modelling, personalization and recommendation
  • Responsible AI and explainability
  • Behavioral modelling
  • User behavior and influence analysis
  • Trust and privacy
  • Social and ethical issue analysis
  • IoT in education
  • Adaptive intelligent interfaces
  • Evaluation of learning effectivity

Prof. Dr. Carina Soledad González
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • intelligent system design and evaluation 
  • educational mobile, ubiquitous and pervasive sensing 
  • educational datamining 
  • learning analytics 
  • recommender systems 
  • applications in education 
  • human-centric data and management 
  • information modelling 
  • user modelling, personalization and recommendation 
  • responsible AI and explainability
  • behavioral modelling 
  • user behavior and influence analysis 
  • trust and privacy 
  • social and ethical issue analysis 
  • IoT in education 
  • adaptive intelligent interfaces 
  • evaluation of learning effectivity

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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25 pages, 1895 KiB  
Article
Application of Electroencephalography Sensors and Artificial Intelligence in Automated Language Teaching
by Yanlin Chen, Wuxiong Wang, Shen Yan, Yiming Wang, Xinran Zheng and Chunli Lv
Sensors 2024, 24(21), 6969; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24216969 - 30 Oct 2024
Viewed by 795
Abstract
This study developed an automated language learning teaching assessment system based on electroencephalography (EEG) and differential language large models (LLMs), aimed at enhancing language instruction effectiveness by monitoring learners’ cognitive states in real time and personalizing teaching content accordingly. Through detailed experimental design, [...] Read more.
This study developed an automated language learning teaching assessment system based on electroencephalography (EEG) and differential language large models (LLMs), aimed at enhancing language instruction effectiveness by monitoring learners’ cognitive states in real time and personalizing teaching content accordingly. Through detailed experimental design, the paper validated the system’s application in various teaching tasks. The results indicate that the system exhibited high precision, recall, and accuracy in teaching effectiveness tests. Specifically, the method integrating differential LLMs with the EEG fusion module achieved a precision of 0.96, recall of 0.95, accuracy of 0.96, and an F1-score of 0.95, outperforming other automated teaching models. Additionally, ablation experiments further confirmed the critical role of the EEG fusion module in enhancing teaching quality and accuracy, providing valuable data support and theoretical basis for future improvements in teaching methods and system design. Full article
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27 pages, 10864 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Mixed Reality and PowerPoint in Education: Tailoring Learning Approaches to Cognitive Profiles
by Radu Emanuil Petruse, Valentin Grecu, Marius-Bogdan Chiliban and Elena-Teodora Tâlvan
Sensors 2024, 24(16), 5138; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24165138 - 8 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1134
Abstract
The term immersive technology refers to various types of technologies and perspectives that are constantly changing and developing. It can be used for different purposes and domains such as education, healthcare, entertainment, arts, and engineering. This paper aims to compare the effectiveness of [...] Read more.
The term immersive technology refers to various types of technologies and perspectives that are constantly changing and developing. It can be used for different purposes and domains such as education, healthcare, entertainment, arts, and engineering. This paper aims to compare the effectiveness of immersive technologies used in education, namely mixed reality, generated with Microsoft HoloLens 2, with traditional teaching methods. The experiment involves comparing two groups of students who received different training methods: the first group saw a PowerPoint slide with an image of the human muscular system, while the second group saw a 3D hologram of the human body that showed the same muscle groups as in the PowerPoint (PPT). By integrating the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) levels of the participants as a predictive variable, the study sought to ascertain whether the incorporation of mixed reality technology could significantly influence the learning outcomes and retention capabilities of the learners. This investigation was designed to contribute to the evolving pedagogical landscape by providing empirical evidence on the potential benefits of advanced educational technologies in diverse learning environments. The main finding of this study indicates that while MR has potential, its effectiveness is closely tied to its interactivity. In cases where the content remains static and non-interactive, MR does not significantly enhance in-formation retention compared to traditional PPT methods. Additionally, the study highlights that instructional strategies should be adapted to individual cognitive profiles, as the technology type (MR or PPT) alone does not significantly impact learning outcomes when the information presented is identical. Full article
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19 pages, 3028 KiB  
Article
Electrodermal Activity (EDA) Morphologies and Prediction of Engagement with Simple Moving Average Crossover: A Mixed-Method Study
by Kishore Kumar Nandipati, Sonika Pal and Ritayan Mitra
Sensors 2024, 24(14), 4565; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24144565 - 14 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1512
Abstract
Electrodermal Activity (EDA), which primarily indicates arousal through sympathetic nervous system activity, serves as a tool to measure constructs like engagement, cognitive load, performance, and stress. Despite its potential, empirical studies have often yielded mixed results and found it of limited use. To [...] Read more.
Electrodermal Activity (EDA), which primarily indicates arousal through sympathetic nervous system activity, serves as a tool to measure constructs like engagement, cognitive load, performance, and stress. Despite its potential, empirical studies have often yielded mixed results and found it of limited use. To better understand EDA, we conducted a mixed-methods study in which quantitative EDA profiles and survey data were investigated using qualitative interviews. This study furnishes an EDA dataset measuring the engagement levels of seven participants who watched three videos for 4–10 min. The subsequent interviews revealed five EDA morphologies with varying short-term signatures and long-term trends. We used this dataset to demonstrate the moving average crossover, a novel metric for EDA analysis, in predicting engagement–disengagement dynamics in such data. Our contributions include the creation of the detailed dataset, comprising EDA profiles annotated with qualitative data, the identification of five distinct EDA morphologies, and the proposition of the moving average crossover as an indicator of the beginning of engagement or disengagement in an individual. Full article
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18 pages, 1703 KiB  
Article
System for Detecting Learner Stuck in Programming Learning
by Hiroki Oka, Ayumi Ohnishi, Tsutomu Terada and Masahiko Tsukamoto
Sensors 2023, 23(12), 5739; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23125739 - 20 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1511
Abstract
Getting stuck is an inevitable part of learning programming. Long-term stuck decreases the learner’s motivation and learning efficiency. The current approach to supporting learning in lectures involves teachers finding students who are getting stuck, reviewing their source code, and solving the problems. However, [...] Read more.
Getting stuck is an inevitable part of learning programming. Long-term stuck decreases the learner’s motivation and learning efficiency. The current approach to supporting learning in lectures involves teachers finding students who are getting stuck, reviewing their source code, and solving the problems. However, it is difficult for teachers to grasp every learner’s stuck situation and to distinguish stuck or deep thinking only by their source code. Teachers should advise learners only when there is no progress and they are psychologically stuck. This paper proposes a method for detecting when learners get stuck during programming by using multi-modal data, considering both their source code and psychological state measured by a heart rate sensor. The evaluation results of the proposed method show that it can detect more stuck situations than the method that uses only a single indicator. Furthermore, we implemented a system that aggregates the stuck situation detected by the proposed method and presents them to a teacher. In evaluations during the actual programming lecture, participants rated the notification timing of application as suitable and commented that the application was useful. The questionnaire survey showed that the application can detect situations where learners cannot find solutions to exercise problems or express them in programming. Full article
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15 pages, 2326 KiB  
Article
A Real-Time Learning Analytics Dashboard for Automatic Detection of Online Learners’ Affective States
by Mohammad Nehal Hasnine, Ho Tan Nguyen, Thuy Thi Thu Tran, Huyen T. T. Bui, Gökhan Akçapınar and Hiroshi Ueda
Sensors 2023, 23(9), 4243; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23094243 - 24 Apr 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3536
Abstract
Students’ affective states describe their engagement, concentration, attitude, motivation, happiness, sadness, frustration, off-task behavior, and confusion level in learning. In online learning, students’ affective states are determinative of the learning quality. However, measuring various affective states and what influences them is exceedingly challenging [...] Read more.
Students’ affective states describe their engagement, concentration, attitude, motivation, happiness, sadness, frustration, off-task behavior, and confusion level in learning. In online learning, students’ affective states are determinative of the learning quality. However, measuring various affective states and what influences them is exceedingly challenging for the lecturer without having real interaction with the students. Existing studies primarily use self-reported data to understand students’ affective states, while this paper presents a novel learning analytics system called MOEMO (Motion and Emotion) that could measure online learners’ affective states of engagement and concentration using emotion data. Therefore, the novelty of this research is to visualize online learners’ affective states on lecturers’ screens in real-time using an automated emotion detection process. In real-time and offline, the system extracts emotion data by analyzing facial features from the lecture videos captured by the typical built-in web camera of a laptop computer. The system determines online learners’ five types of engagement (“strong engagement”, “high engagement”, “medium engagement”, “low engagement”, and “disengagement”) and two types of concentration levels (“focused” and “distracted”). Furthermore, the dashboard is designed to provide insight into students’ emotional states, the clusters of engaged and disengaged students’, assistance with intervention, create an after-class summary report, and configure the automation parameters to adapt to the study environment. Full article
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29 pages, 3770 KiB  
Article
A Methodology for Training Toolkits Implementation in Smart Labs
by Majid Zamiri, Joao Sarraipa, José Ferreira, Carlos Lopes, Tal Soffer and Ricardo Jardim-Goncalves
Sensors 2023, 23(5), 2626; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23052626 - 27 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2892
Abstract
Globally, educational institutes are trying to adapt modernized and effective approaches and tools to their education systems to improve the quality of their performance and achievements. However, identifying, designing, and/or developing promising mechanisms and tools that can impact class activities and the development [...] Read more.
Globally, educational institutes are trying to adapt modernized and effective approaches and tools to their education systems to improve the quality of their performance and achievements. However, identifying, designing, and/or developing promising mechanisms and tools that can impact class activities and the development of students’ outputs are critical success factors. Given that, the contribution of this work is to propose a methodology that can guide and usher educational institutes step by step through the implementation of a personalized package of training Toolkits in Smart Labs. In this study, the package of Toolkits refers to a set of needed tools, resources, and materials that, with integration into a Smart Lab can, on the one hand, empower teachers and instructors in designing and developing personalized training disciplines and module courses and, on the other hand, may support students (in different ways) in developing their skills. To demonstrate the applicability and usefulness of the proposed methodology, a model was first developed, representing the potential Toolkits for training and skill development. The model was then tested by instantiating a particular box that integrates some hardware to be able to connect sensors to actuators, with an eye toward implementing this system mainly in the health domain. In a real scenario, the box was used in an engineering program and its associated Smart Lab to develop students’ skills and capabilities in the areas of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The main outcome of this work is a methodology supported by a model able to represent Smart Lab assets in order to facilitate training programs through training Toolkits. Full article
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18 pages, 1654 KiB  
Systematic Review
Exploring Technology- and Sensor-Driven Trends in Education: A Natural-Language-Processing-Enhanced Bibliometrics Study
by Manuel J. Gomez, José A. Ruipérez-Valiente and Félix J. García Clemente
Sensors 2023, 23(23), 9303; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23239303 - 21 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1398
Abstract
Over the last decade, there has been a large amount of research on technology-enhanced learning (TEL), including the exploration of sensor-based technologies. This research area has seen significant contributions from various conferences, including the European Conference on Technology-Enhanced Learning (EC-TEL). In this research, [...] Read more.
Over the last decade, there has been a large amount of research on technology-enhanced learning (TEL), including the exploration of sensor-based technologies. This research area has seen significant contributions from various conferences, including the European Conference on Technology-Enhanced Learning (EC-TEL). In this research, we present a comprehensive analysis that aims to identify and understand the evolving topics in the TEL area and their implications in defining the future of education. To achieve this, we use a novel methodology that combines a text-analytics-driven topic analysis and a social network analysis following an open science approach. We collected a comprehensive corpus of 477 papers from the last decade of the EC-TEL conference (including full and short papers), parsed them automatically, and used the extracted text to find the main topics and collaborative networks across papers. Our analysis focused on the following three main objectives: (1) Discovering the main topics of the conference based on paper keywords and topic modeling using the full text of the manuscripts. (2) Discovering the evolution of said topics over the last ten years of the conference. (3) Discovering how papers and authors from the conference have interacted over the years from a network perspective. Specifically, we used Python and PdfToText library to parse and extract the text and author keywords from the corpus. Moreover, we employed Gensim library Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling to discover the primary topics from the last decade. Finally, Gephi and Networkx libraries were used to create co-authorship and citation networks. Our findings provide valuable insights into the latest trends and developments in educational technology, underlining the critical role of sensor-driven technologies in leading innovation and shaping the future of this area. Full article
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