Learning events

Learning Event

A mental event involving the construction or application of a purported knowledge component. The event may be directly driven by instruction as in reading a definition of the knowledge component or applying it in a practice problem. While the instruction has a particular correct knowledge component as a target, the student may construct or apply a different correct or incorrect knowledge component.

Learning events are time-bound usually lasting a few minutes early in the construction and application of a new knowledge component or a few seconds in later application of a often-used knowledge component.

Learning events associated with different knowledge components are interleaved in typical instruction. Assessing performance (success, latency, level of help) in applying a knowledge component across learning event opportunities at different times yields a learning curve potentially showing improvement in students' acquisition of the knowledge component.

(See VanLehn, 2006, "The Behavior of Tutoring Systems" for a related definition and further discussion.)