Faculty & Staff
Ryan S.J.d. Baker
Assistant Professor
Office: Salisbury Laboratories, 317A
Phone: +1-508-831-5355
Fax: +1-508-831-5896
rsbaker@wpi.edu
Related Information
Educational Background
- ScB, Brown University, Computer Science (Honors), 2000.
- M.S., Carnegie Mellon University, Human-Computer Interaction, 2005.
- Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University, Human-Computer Interaction, 2005.
Research & Teaching Interests
Educational Data Mining; Learner-Computer Interaction; Gaming the System; Student Modeling; Strategic Behavior; Meta-Cognition; Affect; Intelligent Tutoring Systems; Serious Games; Off-Task Behavior; Cultural Factors; Quantitative Field Observation
IQP Advising Interests
computers and education; introducing new teaching materials; assessing educational experience; education & technological literacy; education of health-care professionals; effect of technology on social systems; international comparisons
Research
My research is at the intersection of Educational Data Mining and Human-Computer Interaction. I develop and use methods for mining the data that comes out of the interactions between students and educational software, in order to better understand how students respond to educational software, and how these responses impact their learning. I study these issues within intelligent tutors and educational games.
In recent years, my colleagues and I have developed automated detectors that make inferences in real-time about students' motivational and meta-cognitive behavior, using data from students' actions within educational software (no sensor, video, or audio data). We have in particular studied "gaming the system", off-task behavior, guessing, and slipping. We use these models to make basic discoveries about human learning and learners, and their cognition, meta-cognition, motivation, and affect.
Research Grants
- National Science Foundation, Software and Hardware Foundations (SHF). SHF: Small: User Studies to Improve Novice Programming. Fisler, K. (PI), Baker, R.S.J.d. (Co-PI). August 2011 – July 2014. $271,561. Award #CCF-1116539.
- U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Classroom Environment, Allocation of Attention, and Learning Outcomes in K-4 Students. Fisher, A. (PI), Baker, R.S.J.d. (Co-PI). 2011-2015. $1,571,973. Award #R305A110444.
- National Science Foundation, Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST).
Research: Predicting STEM Career Choice from Computational Indicators of Student Engagement
within Middle School Mathematics Classes. Baker, R.S.J.d. (PI), Heffernan, N.T. (Co-PI).
June 2011 – May 2014. $711,609. Award #DRL-1031398. - National Science Foundation, Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and
Engineering (REESE). Empirical Research: Emerging Research: Using Automated Detectors to
Examine the Relationships Between Learner Attributes and Behaviors During Inquiry in Science
Microworlds. Gobert, J.G. (PI), Baker, R.S.J.d. (Co-PI). July 2010 – June 2013. $986,111.
Award #DRL-1008649. - National Science Foundation, Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and
Engineering (REESE). Empirical Research: Emerging Research: Robust and Efficient Learning:
Modeling and Remediating Students’ Domain Knowledge. Corbett, A.T. (PI), Baker, R.S.J.d.
(Co-PI). July 2009 – June 2012. $1,066,102. Award # 0910188. - U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Promoting Robust
Understanding of Genetics with a Cognitive Tutor that Integrates Conceptual Learning with
Problem Solving. Corbett, A.T. (PI), Baker, R.S.J.d. (Co-PI). 2009-2012. $1,422,468. Award #
R305A090549. - National Science Foundation, Science of Learning Centers. Toward a Decade of PSLC
Research: Investigating Instructional, Social, and Learner Factors in Robust Learning through
Data-Driven Analysis and Modeling. Koedinger, K.R. (PI). Baker, R.S.J.d. (Senior Personnel).
October 2009- September 2014. $25,000,000.
Recent Publications
Honors & Awards
- Best Oral Presentation. 10th International Conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems, 2010.
- Best paper award, 8th International Conference on Intelligent Tutoring systems, 2006.
Years of Service at WPI
- 2009-Present Assistant Professor
Professional Experience & Activities
- President, International Educational Data Mining Society
- Associate Editor, Journal of Educational Data Mining, 2008-Present
- Conference Chair, 3rd International Conference on Educational Data Mining, 2010
- Program Chair, 1st International Conference on Educational Data Mining, 2008