New USC Research Center to Study Educational Value of the Internet of Things

A new center at the University of Southern California aims to apply the real-time data generated by the Internet of Things to teaching and learning. Created through a partnership between the USC Rossier School of Education and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, the Center for Human-Applied Reasoning and the Internet of Things, or CHARIOT, "aims to bring education and engineering together in a way that will help educators gather real-time data about how students are learning and how teachers should personalize instruction for each student," according to the university.

At the heart of the research is the idea that the Internet of Things' network of devices and sensors can help evaluate students' cognitive engagement and emotions; the resulting data can then be used to provide personalized, just-in-time learning interventions. "If sensor measurements are carefully correlated with more traditional assessments of student learning, it would enable teachers to know which students need help, when they need help and what help they need, and possibly also give feedback and suggestions to individual students about what they could be doing to enhance their learning," the university explained in a press release.

"I think it's vitally important that personalized education begins right now," said USC Provost Michael Quick, in a statement. "By bringing big data, engineering and artificial intelligence principles to bear on something like personalized education, it's going to have a transformational impact."

CHARIOT will be co-directed by Kenneth Yates, professor of clinical education at the USC Rossier School of Education; Rao Machiraju, executive-in-residence at the USC Rossier School of Education; and Bhaskar Krishnamachari, Ming Hsieh Fellow and professor of electrical engineering at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering.

For more information, visit the USC Rossier site.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • a glowing gaming controller, a digital tree structure, and an open book

    Report: Use of Game Engines Expands Beyond Gaming

    Game development technology is increasingly being utilized beyond its traditional gaming roots, according to the recently released annual "State of Game Development" report from development and DevOps solutions provider Perforce Software.

  • abstract representation of equity at the core of AI

    Why Equity Must Be a Core Part of the Conversation About AI

    AI is an immensely powerful tool that can provide customized support for students with diverse learning needs, tailoring educational experiences to meet student’s individual needs more effectively. However, significant disparities in AI access and digital literacy skills prevent many of these same students from fully leveraging its benefits.

  • Man wearing headset working on a computer

    Internet2: Network Routing Security and RPKI Adoption in Research and Education

    We ask James Deaton, vice president of network services, about Internet2's initiatives and leadership efforts to promote routing security and RPKI adoption in research and higher education networks.

  • network of transparent cloud icons, each containing a security symbol like a lock or shield

    Okta, OpenID Foundation Propose New Identity Security Standard

    Okta and the OpenID Foundation have announced the formation of the IPSIE Working Group — with the acronym standing for Interoperability Profiling for Secure Identity in the Enterprise — dedicated to a new identity security standard for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications.