From TeacherWiki

• Awards for the ASSISTment system
• The ASSISTment system in the news
• Publications related to the ASSISTment system
• The funding that makes the ASSISTment system possible
• The people behind the ASSISTment system

Contents 1 The fact sheet about ASSISTments 1.1 What is ASSISTments? 1.2 What is the goal? 1.3 How is it used? 1.4 Who is using it? 1.5 What do we know about its effectiveness? 1.6 Who built the Assistments? 1.7 How much does it cost? 1.8 References 1.9 Contact 1.10 Video Introduction

The fact sheet about ASSISTments

You can download the fact sheet here.

What is ASSISTments?

ASSISTments is a web-based tutoring program for 4th to 10th grade mathematics. The word “ASSISTments” blends tutoring “assistance” with “assessment” reporting to teachers. This gives teachers fine grained reporting on roughly 120 skills that the system tracks per grade level.

What is the goal?

No Child Left Behind urges schools and teachers to use formative assessment information to inform their classroom instruction. The dilemma is that every minute spent testing is a minute taken away from instruction. ASSISTments solves this problem by tutoring students on items they get wrong, thus providing integrated assisting of students while they are being assessed. Teachers can use this detailed assessment data to adjust their classroom instruction and pacing.

How is it used?

Math teachers assign problem sets to their students to do on the computer, and students are tutored on the items they get wrong. Teachers log on to the System and study detailed reports about their students’ difficulties and strengths. Teachers can use content developed at WPI or write their own content.

Who is using it?

In 2008-2009, just over 4000 students used the system. In 2009-10 we had over 7000 students.

• Most of our cooperating schools are Middle Schools and High Schools in Worcester County, MA but we have schools that use in in Maine, New Hampshire, Montana and the Philiphines.

What do we know about its effectiveness?

Here is an article that shows ASSISTmetns dramatically increases student knowledge when used for homework compared to traditional homework (feedback the next day).

• Mendicino, M., Razzaq, L. & Heffernan, N. T. (2009) Comparison of Traditional Homework with Computer Supported Homework: Improving Learning from Homework Using Intelligent Tutoring Systems. Journal of Research on Technology in Education (JRTE). Published by the International Society For Technology in Education (ISTE). PDF

Who built the Assistments?

In 2003, Neil Heffernan and Ken Koedinger conceived of the idea of the ASSISTment system and received funding from the US Department of Education to get started. This idea was successful, in part, due to prior funding from the Office of Naval Research to build tools to make it more cost effective to build intelligent tutoring systems. In 2004, Heffernan was funded by a National Science Foundation CAREER grant to extend the Assistment system from 8th grade up to 10th grade. Since then we have had 5 more multi-million dollar grants and the project took off. Over 100 students at WPI and several full time staff at CMU helped make it all happen.

How much does it cost?

WPI gives the service away for free. Your tax dollars already paid for it to be created! To get training for your staff at your school you generally have to pay for that as that is a real cost.

References

This document and dozens more of documents related to ASSISTments can be found here.

Contact

Contact Prof Neil Heffernan at WPI 508-831-5569 for more information at nth@wpi.edu. Cristina Heffernan (ch@wpi.edu) is in charge of teacher training.

Video Introduction

Watch this video to see how the basics of how the system works