We have proposed a novel application of Markov decision processes (MDPs), a reinforcement learning technique, to automatically generate hints using historical student data. Using this technique, we have modified a an existing, non-adaptive logic proof tutor called Deep Thought with a Hint Factory that provides hints on the next step a student might take. This paper presents the results of our p...

This work explores the effects of using automatically generated hints in Deep Thought, a propositional logic tutor. Generating hints automatically removes a large amount of development time for new tutors, and it also useful for already existing computer-aided instruction systems that lack intelligent feedback. We focus on a series of problems, after which, the control group is known to be 3.5 ...

The interactions of concepts and problem-solving techniques needed to solve open-ended proof problems are varied, making it difficult to select problems that improve individual student performance. We have developed a system of datadriven ordered problem selection for Deep Thought, a logic proof tutor. The problem selection system presents problem sets of expert-determined higher or lower diffi...

Editor’s note: This editorial is part of a series written by editors and co-authored with a senior executive, thought leader, or scholar from a different field to explore new content areas and grand challenges with the goal of expanding the scope, interestingness, and relevance of the work presented in the Academy of Management Journal. The principle is to use the editorial notes as “stage sett...

In the past several years, the use of airborne laser systems or LIDAR for the rapid collection of digital terrain models (DTMs) has proliferated. Flood plain studies, contouring, road engineering projects, volumetric computations, ortho-photo production, and mapping for beach erosion are just some of the applications driving the demand for this technology. The ability of LIDAR systems to captur...

Traditionally, a distinction is made between that what is asserted by uttering a sentence and that what is presupposed. Presuppositions are characterized as those propositions which persist even if the sentence which triggers them is negated. Thus ‘The king of France is bald’ presupposes that there is a king of France, since this follows from both ‘The king of France is bald’ and ‘It is not the...

This paper deals with the puzzle of sentences like (i.a), which denies (i.b). (i) a. The King of France is not bald, because there is no King of France. b. The King of France is bald. In previous analyses of such examples two problems are often overlooked: the first is that (i.a) is supposed to express denial of (i.b) specifically on the grounds that the existence of a King of France is its pre...

Most phagocytic protist viruses have large particles and genomes as well as many laterally acquired genes that may be associated with a sympatric intracellular life (a community-associated lifestyle with viruses, bacteria, and eukaryotes) and the presence of virophages. By subculturing Mimivirus 150 times in a germ-free amoebal host, we observed the emergence of a bald form of the virus that la...

The Northern Bald Ibis is one of the rarest bird species, extinct in Europe for 400 years and critically endangered worldwide. The European Union-co-financed LIFE+ project "Reason for Hope - Reintroduction of the Northern Bald Ibis in Europe" aims to reintroduce the species in Europe (Germany, Austria, Italy). In order to obtain information on the genetic diversity within zoo colonies and the r...