The Problem
International and non-traditional students often struggle to participate in classroom discussions, not because they lack ideas, but because they lack structured support for transforming their understanding into discussion-ready contributions. Existing preparation is often passive, leaving students without opportunities to practice meaningful participation.
Research-Based Design
Discuss Ready is an AI-supported discussion preparation tool grounded in learning science rather than intuition.
The design draws from three key research foundations:
- Self-Explanation (Bielaczyc et al., 1995): Students first summarize the material and connect it to their prior experiences.
- Argumentation (Nussbaum et al., 2007): Students develop evidence-based opinions and consider opposing viewpoints.
- Cognitive Tutoring (Aleven & Koedinger, 2002): Feedback provides hints and guidance rather than answers, encouraging learners to engage directly with course materials.
This structure was designed to move learners from passive engagement toward constructive participation consistent with the ICAP framework.
Iterative Design and Testing
The instructional design process involved three rounds of testing and refinement.
Round 1
Students advanced regardless of response quality, revealing the need for mastery-based progression.
Round 2
Mastery gating was added, but learners became stuck in repetitive retry loops.
Round 3
Scoring thresholds, scaffolded hints, text-grounded feedback, and accessibility-focused language constraints were introduced to balance rigor and learner support.
Each revision was informed by identified learner challenges and validated through structured testing.
Final Product
The final version of Discuss Ready guides learners through four stages:
- 1. Self-Explanation
- 2. Prior Knowledge Connection
- 3. Opinion Formation
- 4. Counterargument
After completing the sequence, learners receive a personalized discussion rehearsal summary based on their own responses, helping them confidently participate in classroom discussions.
The project demonstrates my ability to translate learning science research into a practical instructional system through iterative design, usability testing, and evidence-based decision making.
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