In the News

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Holiday shopping: Tips for using AI to compare prices and get gift inspiration

How can AI tools help consumers find the best deals and tackle the holiday shopping list? Associate Professor of marketing Purvi Shah spoke with NBC Boston about the technology driving retail transformation. "AI can help you compare products and prices across stores. It can also give you review summaries that can help you evaluate various product options based on those review summaries," Shah said. "All of this is done very efficiently."

EdTech Digest

EdTech Digest reported on federal efforts to support developers of educational technology and provide essential information regarding artificial intelligence. The article credits Neil Heffernan, the William Smith Dean's Professor of Computer Science and the director of the Learning Sciences and Technologies Program, with contributing ideas for translating Department of Education recommendations for AI in education into practical guidelines.

 

 

 

 

Worcester Business Journal

Neil Heffernan, the William Smith Dean's Professor of Computer Science and the director of the Learning Sciences and Technologies Program, has been awarded a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s (DOE) Institute of Education Sciences to lead efforts to develop an artificial intelligence tutor to help middle-school students learn math while doing homework.

Government Technology

Computer science professor Neil Heffernan spoke with Government Technology about the public discussion over regulations of artificial intelligence. He explained why regulations could stifle research and development and lead to monopolization.

EdSurge

EdSurge published an article by seventh-grade teacher Andrew Burnett, FA Day Middle School in Newton, in which she sited her work with Neil Heffernan, the William Smith Dean's Professor of Computer Science and the director of the Learning Sciences and Technologies Program at WPI. She detailed how her research for Heffernan, involving ASSISTments, a responsive online learning tool based in learning science that was founded by Heffernan and his wife, impacted her teaching when she returned to the classroom.

Boston 25

Boston 25 reported that WPI is getting an $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to scale up ASSISTments, a middle-school math assessment tool. ASSISTments was created by Neil Heffernan, the William Smith Dean Professor of Computer Science and the director of the Learning Sciences and Technologies Program at WPI, and his wife, Cristina Heffernan.

EdSurge

Neil Heffernan, professor of computer science and director of the Learning Sciences and Technologies Program, had his opinion piece published in Ed Surge

The 74

An op-ed by Neil Heffernan, professor of computer science and director of Learning Sciences & Technologies, published by The 74 Million, discusses how sharing data can inform researchers whether education technology is actually working.

The Hechinger Report

Computer science professor Neil Heffernan’s opinion piece in the Hechinger Report takes a look at the need for new technology and evidence-based instructional practices, such as online homework tools, to address inequities in our public school system.

Education Post

Education Post featured an op-ed by Neil Heffernan, professor of computer science and director of learning sciences and technologies, that examines ways school districts nationwide can make homework more effective and relevant. In “Schools Don’t Need to Ban Homework; They Just Need to Make It Better,” Heffernan argues for homework technologies that help replicate the kind of back-and-forth interactions that students and teachers have in class.

Worcester Business Journal

The Worcester Business Journal reported that WPI received a $895,000 grant from the Department of Education to provide six fellowships to graduate students looking to pursue studies in artificial intelligence. The program, called Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAAN), comes in anticipation of a decrease in artificial intelligence professionals in the field. GAAN will train students in the artificial intelligence field, and connect them with colleagues in academic, industry and government settings.  

The 74

The74Million, an online news site focused on education in the U.S., an op-ed by Neil Heffernan, professor of computer science and director of Learning Sciences and Technologies.

U.S. News

U. S. News & World Report reported on a rigorous study by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab at MIT that took a hard look at education technology and cited ASSISTments, a free homework platform created by computer science professor Neil Heffernan, as one program that is having a measurable positive impact. “We had the guts to expose ourselves” to randomized control trials, Heffernan said, adding that he now has grants for ongoing work on the program. 

SRI International

The American Education Research Association Journal reports on a study that quantifies the benefits of the online math homework system ASSISTments developed by WPI’s Neil Heffernan, professor of computer science and director of the Learning Sciences and Technologies PhD program.