AI-driven formative assessment and adaptive learning in data-science education: Evaluating an LLM-powered virtual teaching assistant

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Anaroua, Fadjimata I, Li, Qing, Tang, Yan, Liu, Hong P.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Anaroua, Fadjimata I
Li, Qing
Tang, Yan
Liu, Hong P.
author_facet Anaroua, Fadjimata I
Li, Qing
Tang, Yan
Liu, Hong P.
contents This paper presents VITA (Virtual Teaching Assistants), an adaptive distributed learning (ADL) platform that embeds a large language model (LLM)-powered chatbot (BotCaptain) to provide dialogic support, interoperable analytics, and integrity-aware assessment for workforce preparation in data science. The platform couples context-aware conversational tutoring with formative-assessment patterns designed to promote reflective reasoning. The paper describes an end-to-end data pipeline that transforms chat logs into Experience API (xAPI) statements, instructor dashboards that surface outliers for just-in-time intervention, and an adaptive pathway engine that routes learners among progression, reinforcement, and remediation content. The paper also benchmarks VITA conceptually against emerging tutoring architectures, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)--based assistants and Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI)--integrated hubs, highlighting trade-offs among content grounding, interoperability, and deployment complexity. Contributions include a reusable architecture for interoperable conversational analytics, a catalog of patterns for integrity-preserving formative assessment, and a practical blueprint for integrating adaptive pathways into data-science courses. The paper concludes with implementation lessons and a roadmap (RAG integration, hallucination mitigation, and LTI~1.3 / OpenID Connect) to guide multi-course evaluations and broader adoption. In light of growing demand and scalability constraints in traditional instruction, the approach illustrates how conversational AI can support engagement, timely feedback, and personalized learning at scale. Future work will refine the platform's adaptive intelligence and examine applicability across varied educational settings.
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id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_20369
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle AI-driven formative assessment and adaptive learning in data-science education: Evaluating an LLM-powered virtual teaching assistant
Anaroua, Fadjimata I
Li, Qing
Tang, Yan
Liu, Hong P.
Computers and Society
Artificial Intelligence
Human-Computer Interaction
F.2.2, I.2.7
This paper presents VITA (Virtual Teaching Assistants), an adaptive distributed learning (ADL) platform that embeds a large language model (LLM)-powered chatbot (BotCaptain) to provide dialogic support, interoperable analytics, and integrity-aware assessment for workforce preparation in data science. The platform couples context-aware conversational tutoring with formative-assessment patterns designed to promote reflective reasoning. The paper describes an end-to-end data pipeline that transforms chat logs into Experience API (xAPI) statements, instructor dashboards that surface outliers for just-in-time intervention, and an adaptive pathway engine that routes learners among progression, reinforcement, and remediation content. The paper also benchmarks VITA conceptually against emerging tutoring architectures, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG)--based assistants and Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI)--integrated hubs, highlighting trade-offs among content grounding, interoperability, and deployment complexity. Contributions include a reusable architecture for interoperable conversational analytics, a catalog of patterns for integrity-preserving formative assessment, and a practical blueprint for integrating adaptive pathways into data-science courses. The paper concludes with implementation lessons and a roadmap (RAG integration, hallucination mitigation, and LTI~1.3 / OpenID Connect) to guide multi-course evaluations and broader adoption. In light of growing demand and scalability constraints in traditional instruction, the approach illustrates how conversational AI can support engagement, timely feedback, and personalized learning at scale. Future work will refine the platform's adaptive intelligence and examine applicability across varied educational settings.
title AI-driven formative assessment and adaptive learning in data-science education: Evaluating an LLM-powered virtual teaching assistant
topic Computers and Society
Artificial Intelligence
Human-Computer Interaction
F.2.2, I.2.7
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.20369