CLIPPS - Customized Learning Interface Production from Pedagogic Semantics

CLIPPS (Custom Learning Interface Production from Pedagogic Semantics) was a two-year research study (2004-2006) by CAST, Inc., funded by the National Science Foundation, Advanced Learning Technologies Program within the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate, as well as by the Education and Human Resource Directorate (Award # IIS-0413709). CLIPPS principal and co-principal investigators were Bob Dolan and Chris Wilder-Smith, respectively.

The problem

For school-age children with disabilities, print-based textbooks and educational materials present profound barriers to learning. In contrast, digital learning environments and materials can present the same content as printed textbooks but in ways that are flexible and therefore more accessible. Yet while existing research has shown the promise of computer-based multimedia to support the learning of students with disabilities, no means exists to provide individualized, pedagogically sound learning materials to students on a widespread basis.

A solution

CLIPPS explored new approaches for recognizing individual needs and customizing the presentation of learning materials to meet those needs at the point of instruction. At the heart of this effort was the development of an ontology of pedagogic intent, a formal description or theory (ontology) of the relationship between the intended educational purpose of certain material (pedagogic intent) and the way that information is presented in a digital environment. Leveraging (1) content marked up in advance by content developers, (2) a model of student learning characteristics in a particular learning context, and (3) a set of rules that act upon this content given the student learning characteristics, a prototype adaptive engine was developed that automatically generates that content for the student.

Project goal

This goal of this project was to develop new models of science curriculum design effective for middle school students with learning disabilities, as well as to contribute to the enhancement of digital educational materials standards, such as the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) and the 1EdTech (formerly IMS Global Learning) Consortium.

To learn about CLIPPS

Additional details on CLIPPS