Press Releases
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Al Renshaw
Quantum Simulations, Inc.
Phone: 1-800-577-9040
e-Mail: Al Renshaw
QUANTUM® ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENT
SOFTWARE PROVEN EFFECTIVE AND RELIABLE FOR GRADING STUDENT WORK
Research proves that Quantum Assessment
Advisors® can significantly reduce or eliminate teachers' grading time
and are more accurate and consistent than human graders
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - January 24,
2006, Quantum Simulations, Inc., a developer of artificial intelligence
(AI) tutoring and assessment software, has released the results of
a Phase I research study funded by the National Science Foundation
to evaluate the Quantum Assessment Advisors®, a new AI-based automatic
grading and formative assessment software for chemistry.
The research compares the grading effectiveness
of the Quantum Assessment Advisors® to high school chemistry teachers
with classroom experience ranging from four to 25 years. To compare
the performance of the Quantum Assessment Advisors® with actual teacher
grading, identical copies of student papers (250 problem attempts
on the topic of oxidation numbers) were given to teachers to grade.
The teachers were instructed to not only determine whether a solution
was right or wrong, but to assign partial credit for correct problem-solving
steps.
Since the student's own work rather
than a multiple-choice answer was graded in this study, Quantum's
patented consistency rules technology was used to handle unanticipated
student errors. This is an important feature of Quantum's formative
assessment tool since many student errors cannot be diagnosed by multiple-choice
tests, which may force the student to pick an answer having nothing
to do with their own solution attempt or thought process. By analyzing
the student's actual work, a much more accurate and detailed evaluation
of their knowledge and problem-solving skills is assessed. Though
effective, this time-consuming process is often not practical for
most teachers.
"This study is the first of its kind
and demonstrates that the Quantum® AI software can quickly and consistently
assess student work, freeing teachers to use their time and talents
more effectively," states Dr. Benny Johnson, Quantum's President and
CEO. "With the Quantum Assessment Advisors®, we have developed a robust
and reliable assessment tool to help teachers increase their efficiency
while providing practical, real-time feedback to students."
It is important to note that this comparison
study is not intended as a criticism of the teachers' competency in
grading. As most teachers agree, the grading process is prone to error
and inconsistency because of the tedious conditions under which it
usually must be done - a large number of papers must be analyzed in
a limited time, assigning scores based only on brief inspection of
each student's work, with the task often becoming dull and repetitive.
Key findings of the study include:
- The mean grading score for the Quantum Assessment Advisors® was in agreement with those scores assigned
by teachers.
- The Advisors were more accurate in identifying
correct solutions and assigning full credit 100% of the time.
One of the teachers failed to identify correct solutions 47% of
the time because of an inaccurate answer key the teacher developed
- a good example of how the human grading process can be prone
to error.
- Quantum® was more accurate, eliminating
inconsistency in grading (i.e. assigning different scores for
the same answer given by different students). Quantum® also graded
more consistently across all student work and problems.
- The Quantum Assessment Advisors® graded
all student work and provided feedback within 3 to 5 seconds.
It took teachers over one hour to grade student work, a representative
example of the administrative time required to grade papers. This
did not include time to provide any comments on student work.
Note: For a complete copy of
the published research results, please email [email protected].
The Quantum Assessment Advisors® for
Chemistry allow teachers to enter or upload ANY set of problems into
the software or select from a database of pre-stored problems. The
student enters their own work into the Advisors online, just as they
would work a problem using pencil and paper. Upon submitting the assignment,
the software automatically evaluates and grades every step of the
student's work and provides immediate feedback and tutoring help on
topics and concepts needed to improve future test scores. For the
teacher, the software eliminates the administrative time, human error
and fatigue associated with grading papers, while providing real-time
data for analyzing how the class performed on the concepts tested
with drill-down detail to each individual student's work.
Phase II research for the Quantum Assessment Advisors® is underway on a national scale and focuses on the effectiveness
of formative assessment feedback as a highly effective strategy for
improving student learning and achievement.
About Quantum®
Quantum Simulations, Inc. develops artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring,
assessment and professional development software that empowers teachers
and inspires students from middle school through college to improve
their knowledge and appreciation for the sciences. Teacher tested
and approved by educators across the United States, Quantum's AI software
is proven in research studies to improve comprehension, problem solving
skills and test scores by as much as 50%. Quantum's intelligent tutoring
engines are integrated with existing web-based learning products,
providing a strong competitive edge for distributing partners. A "technology
think tank," Quantum® is funded and supported by the U.S. Department
of Education, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes
of Health. For a virtual demonstration of the Quantum Tutors®, visit
www.quantumsimulations.com/demo.
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