Extending the Scope of the Student Model

In this paper we maintain that there are benefits to extending the scope of student models to include additional information as part of the explicit student model. We illustrate our argument by describing a student model which focuses on 1. performance in the domain; 2. acquisition order of the target knowledge; 3. analogy; 4. learning strategies; 5. awareness and reflection. The first four of these issues are explicitly represented in the student model. Awareness and reflection should occur as the student model is transparent; it is used to promote learner reflection by encouraging the learner to view, and even negotiate changes to the model. Although the architecture is transferable across domains, each instantiation of the student model will necessarily be domain specific due to the importance of factors such as the relevant background
knowledge for analogy, and typical progress through the target material. As an example of this approach we describe the student model of an intelligent computer assisted language learning system which was based on research findings on the above five topics in the field of second language acquisition. Throughout we address the issue of the generality of this model, with particular reference to the possibility of a similar architecture reflecting comparable issues in the domain of learning about electrical circuits.