A is for Adaptivity, but What is Adaptivity? Re-Defining the Field of AIED
Vincent Aleven · AIED Workshops · 2015
This paper proposes to define the field currently known as AIED not in terms of the technology used, but in terms of system behavior. Specifical- ly, it is proposed that AIED is the science and engineering of systems that adapt to learners, so as to help bring about effective, efficient, and enjoyable learning experiences. But what, in general, is adaptivity? Intuitively, being adaptive means that the system adjusts the course of instruction in nuanced and effective ways based on learner differences, for example the goals and needs of individu- al learners and group of learners. It is difficult to state necessary and sufficient conditions for the concept of adaptivity. Instead, I stipulate that a system is more adaptive to the degree that: (a) its design is grounded in a thorough (em- pirical) understanding of learners in the given task domain, (b) it is appropriate- ly interactive, and (c) it takes into account, in its pedagogical decision making, how individual learners measure up along different psychological dimensions. These factors help in comparing systems in terms of their degree of adaptivity. They imply that the presence of Artificial Intelligence technology is not a defin- ing factor, even if it can be (and often is) instrumental in bringing about adap- tivity.