Re-evaluating LARGO in the Classroom: Are Diagrams Better Than Text for Teaching Argumentation Skills?

Diagrams appear to be a convenient vehicle for teaching argumentation skills in ill-defined domains, but can an ITS provide useful feedback on students’ argument diagrams without assuming a well-defined procedure for objectively evaluating argument? LARGO is an ITS for legal argumentation that supports students as they diagram transcripts of US Supreme Court oral argument. It provides on-demand advice by identifying small, interesting or incomplete patterns within students’ graphs. We conducted a study in which LARGO was used as mandatory part of a first-year law school class. In contrast to prior findings in lab studies with voluntary participants, the use of LARGO did not lead to superior learning as compared to a text-based note-taking tool. These results can be partially attributed to low use of the graphical tools and advice by the students as well as (and possibly due to) a different motivational focus. Some evidence was found that higher engagement with the system led to better learning, leaving open the tantalizing possibility of helping especially lower-aptitude students through use of LARGO.