Thomas Bolster’s research while affiliated with Carnegie Mellon University and other places

How to best sequence instruction in a collection of basic facts is a problem often faced by intelligent tutoring systems. To solve this problem, the following work details two tests of a system to provide drill practice (test trials with feedback) for foreign language vocabulary learning using a practice schedule determined to be optimal according to a cognitive model. In the first test, students chose between an optimized version and a version that merely cycled the vocabulary items. Examination of the time on task data revealed a preference for practice based on the decisions of the cognitive model. In the second test, the system was used to train the component parts of Chinese characters and measure the transfer of knowledge to subsequent learning of Chinese characters. Chinese character learning was improved for students with the relevant optimized training.