Project Activities
People and institutions involved
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Products and publications
Product: TaylorAI is an AI-formative feedback and assessment system for hands-on laboratory science activities that provides information and scaffolded hints to students as they collect and analyze experimental data. TaylorAI will operates in the background of an existing cloud-based software platform, called PocketLab, which includes a small wireless device that transmits scientific data using Bluetooth, and a user-interface notebook for students to keep track of their work. TaylorAI will employs an AI algorithm that analyzes real-world experimental data that students collect using PocketLab. TaylorAI can be used by students in and out of classrooms to provide feedback and assist in the assessment of key science and engineering practices from the Next Generation Science Standards.
Project website: www.thepocketlab.com
Additional Resources: See a video demonstration of the Phase I prototype here: https://youtu.be/8RoAqYWtauA
Project website:
Supplemental information
During Phase II, the team developed a prototype of TaylorAI to provide automated formative feedback to students for eight physical science activities covering middle school physical science NGSS performance expectations. Researchers conducted a study with 19 middle school science classrooms to assess the formative assessment features. Researchers developed a 19-question assessment that was administered both before and after their exposure to PocketLab TaylorAI. The content of the assessment comprised selected items adapted from standardized assessment released items and was specifically aligned with the NGSS waves, energy, and gravity content covered in the TaylorAI science investigations. Qualitative feedback from teachers and students showed promise for how active science investigations can increase student motivation. Teacher and student feedback and classroom observation data will be incorporated into the refinement of the overall platform and the specific TaylorAI features. Quantitative results were inconclusive due to the short study duration and the breadth of science content involved. The quasi-experimental impact analysis had limitations due to the small sample size.
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