1. An computer agent for self monitoring and regulation Nick Punt EDUC 391X 11/14/2007

2.  Drop-out rates in web-based learning courses are very high  Web-based learning courses require a degree of self motivation and regulation that students often do not possess  Existing methods of teaching study skills are ineffective

3.  A Super Self is a personalized computer agent designed to help students self regulate and develop good study habits in WBL environments  Students use their Super Self to help them imagine what their success would look like  A Super Self helps students manage time, focus their attention on courses, and use strategies that lead to better understanding

4. A 1 week long introductory program

5.  The program helps students:  Identify a proper physical and social environment  Develop realistic expectations for courses  Understand time management  Develop reflective skills  Define their own short and long term goals  Create an aspirational self image: an idealized self  Introduces Superself tools that are used throughout coursework Defining the Super Self

6.  Evaluate physical environment  Students play online scrabble for 1 hour, pausing whenever an interruption occurs. Asked to estimate time to resolve each interruption.  Evaluate social environment  Students identify and enlist friends able to help them stay focused  Evaluate self  Students fill out survey of their habits  Students take pre-test on course content to determine i Defining the Super Self

7.  Week long course simulation to understand WBL  Simulation incorporates games to help students understand WBL  Prioritization – Students must organize and schedule a list of the week’s tasks based on perceived importance and time commitment.  Annoyances – Simulates barrage of annoyances from friends, classmates, email, etc that student must choose to ignore or pursue.  Estimates – Shows assignments and asks students to estimate time they would take to complete. Subset of assignments then given.  Methods – Students submit and are graded on diagrams, mindmaps, etc, which develop elaborative and organizational strategies  Outcomes  An evaluation of student habits  Expectations of what is involved in WBL  Familiarity with good study habits Defining the Super Self

8.  Students write out motivations to learn  Long term: the ‘Why’ of learning  Medium term: How each course matters to them  Short term: What they want from each week  Students evaluate their performance  Self-reflect and identify weaknesses from course  Students create a Super Self  i+1 defined with help of profile and student goals  Answers question: What does my success look like? Defining the Super Self

9. Adding tools and constraints to coursework

10.  The Super Self is used to help students focus on living up to their idealized self  Focus involves adopting individualized constraints to help students familiarize themselves with good study habits  These constraints are applied heavily in initial WBL courses, and are slowly lifted as students become better at managing themselves Applying the Super Self

11.  Students must ‘show up’ to WBL courses at specific times they schedule  Friends notified when students do not show up  Other internet activity is disabled when students are in WBL courses  Course incorporates simulations of prioritization, annoyances, estimates, and methods, as prior course simulation did  Significant % of grades based on simulations / study skills performance Applying the Super Self

12.  Students must envision and write an essay on what their Super Self will be like at the end of each course  Weekly progress reports are also due  Writing about the super self is the only procrastination option during scheduled class time  Students are given a study buddy in a different course that has similar habits.  Each is notified when the other does poorly.  At end of every class, students:  Are shown upcoming course material and work  Must estimate how long material will take  Must schedule times to do work Applying the Super Self

13.  If students show good performance in study skills, constraints are reduced or eliminated in future courses  Courses may be re-scheduled  Fewer simulations  Less frequent Super Self writing  Internet access allowed Applying the Super Self

14. Will you implement it?