Designing a Learner Model for Use in Training Analysts in a Social Media Practice Environment

Elizabeth T. Whitaker, Ethan Brantley Trewhitt, Lauren Massey, Robert E. Wray, Laura Hamel

Abstract: This paper describes the characteristics, design and architecture of a learner model, the GTRI Learner Assessment Engine (GLAsE), that is designed to operate within a practice environment for teaching the analysis of social media feeds. The purpose of GLAsE in the practice environment is to provide a state of the learner’s competency or proficiency for the information and use by the learner and instructor to guide the learning activities, e.g., the experience of the learner in the practice environment. The Learner Model is represented as a curriculum overlay model with additional annotations and background information. The contents of the Learner Model consist of items represented in the Curriculum Model as learning objectives: Concepts, Skills, and Problem-solving approaches. This Learner Model is called an overlay model because the Learner Model has the same representation as the expert domain knowledge, i.e., the Curriculum Model—it is overlaid on that representation. The Learner Model will provide mastery or proficiency scores for each of the learning objectives that represent the model’s best estimate of the state of the learner proficiency for that objective. The learner assessment process will identify and prioritize any concepts in which the learner has deficiency and will, whenever it is appropriate in a learning or practice system, provide information to other system components that could be used to direct the learner to particular activities to help increase proficiency in those concepts. Results of the learner assessment will be used to update the Learner Model.