User Modeling

User Research

We conducted three interviews (Feb 8 - 9, 2024)
Interviewees: An instructor and two undergraduate students who have experience in online discussions at the University of Flordia, Gainesville.
Main Focus:
1. Experience with Online Discussions
2. Comparison with In-Person Discussions
3. Perception of Current Tools
4. Expectations & Suggestions

Key Findings

Challenges and Online Interaction

limited engagement
Lack of Immediate Connection
Passivity and Inauthenticity

Engagement and Online vs. In-Person

Interactive Facilitation
Personalization and Adaptability
Engagement-Driven Design

Discussion Quality and AI Potential

Enhanced Discussion Monitoring
Personalized Feedback

Meet Our Users (Personas)

Jacqueline: Instructor

Jacqueline, an instructor who teaches both online and in-person courses, faces challenges with student participation, noting a lack of deep engagement in online forums. Jacqueline observes that in-person discussions yield more dynamic and connected interactions, something that online environments struggle to replicate. Jacqueline sees potential in incorporating AI tools to provide immediate feedback and guide discussions, aiming to improve student engagement in online discussions. For the future, she advocates for the role of a discussion leader to facilitate real-time feedback and continuous improvement in online discourse *.

Listen to Jacqueline

1. "I've noticed that the main hurdles are that students often don't want to interact with their peers' posts, seeing replies as just more work, and sometimes they just copy-paste stuff from the web, which really only leads to pretty shallow contributions."

2. "From what I see, face-to-face talks are usually more lively and interactive – there's something about being in the same room that online forums just can't match, like that direct and personal connection."

3. "I'm totally up for bringing in new tools, maybe something with AI or chatbots, to help us out with the discussions. I reckon having immediate feedback or some guidance could really get students more involved."

Katherine: Linguistics Major, Sophomore

Katherine, a sophomore linguistics major, finds online discussions less engaging than in-person equivalents, often struggling to authentically connect with the material. She highlights the limitations of online discussions in fostering genuine interest and suggests more compelling prompts and interactive tools to enhance participation. Katherine envisions an ideal online discussion environment where engagement is authentic and energetic, with a caveat about over-reliance on AI for crafting responses *.

Listen to Katherine

"Sometimes, I struggle to really get into the topic or form my own opinion, which can lead to me kinda winging it with my responses or acting like I'm more interested than I actually am."
"I definitely favor face-to-face chats; they just grab my attention more. It's like, with online talks, you miss out on that instant vibe you get when you're right there in the moment, which I think is key to a good, deep conversation."
"I'm a bit wary about us starting to see AI as a stand-in for the hard work teachers do or leaning on it too much for our answers."

Emily: Chemistry Major, Junior

Emily, a junior chemistry major, regularly engages with online discussion forums but finds the experience less effective than live discussions. She suggests smaller group sizes for a more personal touch and sees value in AI tools that can organize thoughts or prompt deeper discussions. Emily's ideal online discussion setup involves clear instructions, structured small group interactions, and meaningful participation that doesn't overwhelm students. She remains cautiously optimistic about AI's role in improving discussions, provided it adds value without creating additional stress *.

Listen to Emily

"For me, the perfect online chat has got to have directions that are a no-brainer, readings that don't take an age to get through, and a system that makes sure everyone's weighing in. It’s important that nobody feels swamped by it all, you know?"
"I'm totally on board with throwing AI into the mix. Things like mind maps or diagrams could really shake up our discussions, give us a clear path to follow, and get those ideas flowing. I'm just a bit on the fence about how everyone else might take to getting prompts from a bot or having our chats summed up by a machine."
"And I really think we should keep our groups on the smaller side. It just makes the whole thing more intimate and less daunting. When there are fewer of us, everyone gets a chance to speak up and really be heard, which just makes for a better discussion all around..."

Scenarios

Scenario 1: Change online discussion *

Persona: Jacqueline

User Group: Instructor

In the quiet of her office one Friday afternoon, Jacqueline, an instructor at the University of Florida, found herself poring over the latest batch of student feedback. Amidst the comments, a recurring theme emerged: her students felt disconnected and unengaged in online discussions.

She usually provided a few articles to read and provided a few questions that connected students’ experiences to the articles. Even though she’s provided “discussion assignments” to her online students, she knew that it was a stark contrast to the lively debates of her in-person classes. Students were likely to repeat the same opinions and it was hard to manipulate the discussion, which led disconnection to among her students.

It was then that Jacqueline remembered reading about the AI Discussion Map (ADM), a tool designed to infuse online forums with the dynamism and connectivity of face-to-face interactions. Intrigued by the promise of enhancing her online courses, Jacqueline made a pivotal decision. She would integrate ADM into her next module on critical thinking, hopeful that it would revitalize the online discourse.

The following week, with a sense of purpose, Jacqueline sat at her desk, her laptop open to the LMS of her critical thinking course. With a few clicks, she navigated to the "Extensions" menu, where she added the AI Discussion Map to her digital teaching toolkit. The installation was a breeze, and soon, the ADM icon took its place on her course toolbar, ready to be explored.

Launching ADM for the first time, Jacqueline was greeted by an intuitive tutorial. It guided her through the creation of a mind map, starting with a central topic that branched into student contributions, visually linking ideas and responses in a dynamic, interactive display. With anticipation, she initiated the first discussion: "The Impact of Social Media on Public Discourse." As contributions flowed in, Jacqueline watched the digital mind map evolve, its branches sprawling with the diverse thoughts and analyses of her students. The map was a kaleidoscope of color-coded arguments, questions, and evidence, making the discourse not only accessible but engaging.

Throughout the week, Jacqueline observed the growing complexity of the discussion. The ADM's visual cues and AI-driven insights revealed the depth of student engagement and the breadth of their critical thinking. She intervened strategically, using the tool's insights to pose questions that prodded the discussion deeper, filling in gaps and expanding on themes.

As the discussion drew to a close, Jacqueline reviewed the vibrant mind map ADM had facilitated. The tool had not only met but exceeded her expectations, fostering a level of discourse that mirrored the best of her in-person sessions. She generated a summary of the discussion's key points and shared it with her class, highlighting the exceptional contributions and the collective achievement of a truly engaging online debate.

Reflecting on the experience, Jacqueline felt a renewed sense of optimism for the future of online education. The AI Discussion Map had transformed her online forum into a lively, interconnected space where students felt empowered to contribute and engage deeply with the material and each other. Impressed by the effectiveness of ADM in fostering meaningful discourse, Jacqueline planned to share her success at the next faculty meeting, hopeful that others would see the value in bringing this innovative tool into their digital classrooms.

Scenario 2: Change online discussion *

Persona: Katherine

User Group: Student

Katherine, a sophomore linguistics major, found herself hard to get the key points when replying to an online discussion in one of her classes. As she read the posts from her peers, she couldn't help but feel a sense of disconnect from the material and her classmates.

Katherine thought as she read the posts from her peers, she felt disconnected from the topic and her classmates. She thought everyone commented on similar ideas, making it difficult for Katherine to engage in the discussions with her peers efficiently.

Katherine discussed her concern with her roommate Emily, they all believed that the current discussion posts were boring and hard to generate important information, so Katherine talked to the instructor, Jacqueline. Jacqueline listened carefully and developed an add-on tool for students. The add-on is called ADM, it can generate main ideas from each discussion post and make a mind map. The add-on could visually organize ideas, helping users like Katherine to structure their thoughts in a more engaging and interactive way.

Katherine started to use ADM. As Katherine began her online discussion, she realized that ADM offered a creative outlet for expressing ideas. She started by clicking the “generate” button, then the AI tool collected key points and ideas related to the topic from other students’ posts, visually connecting them in a dynamic mind map. The visual representation not only made her contributions stand out but also provided a clear structure for others to follow.

The ADM not only helped Katherine express herself more efficiently but also encouraged her peers to post on discussion in a more visual and interactive way. As the discussion unfolded, the mind maps served as visual assistance, making everyone’s opinion connect and fostering understanding among the discussions.

As a result, Katherine found that ADM had successfully addressed some of the limitations she had previously identified in online discussions. The visual element added an element of engagement that text couldn't achieve, and the interactive function of mind mapping encouraged a more dynamic and collaborative environment, to help students’ share their ideas actively in the future.

*Note: The text has been polished using ChatGPT from the prompt please help me to polish the content (OpenAI, 2024).

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