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 the DataShop help pages and how learning interactions (see the Transaction table example) are combined together into learning events (see the Step table example).

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

A critique of the Learning Event construct, as well as other aspects of our theory can be found here Musings on Learning Events