Expert TA Introduction to Symbolic Questions

Summary

The video script is an instructional guide for using the Expert TA system, focusing on symbolic expression questions in physics assignments. It highlights the system's user-friendly interface, which includes a palette of necessary variables and functions, and safeguards against syntax errors. The script emphasizes the availability of hints and personalized feedback to aid learning, and reassures students that the system is designed to be forgiving of minor input errors. It also discusses the system's use of data mining and machine learning to improve feedback over time.

Takeaways

• 👨‍🏫 The video provides an overview of the class management page and discusses how instructors handle deductions related to submission attempts, axes, hints, feedback, and late work.
• ⏰ It's a reminder to students to contact their instructor for any questions regarding deductions on assignments.
• 🎓 The focus of the video is on helping students succeed in Expert TA, particularly with questions that require symbolic expression inputs.
• 🔍 The interface for entering symbolic answers is designed to be intuitive, with a palette containing necessary variables and functions, reducing the need for complex syntax knowledge.
• 📝 Students can enter answers either by clicking buttons or typing, with the system guiding them to avoid syntax errors.
• 🛡️ The system is designed to protect against careless syntax errors, such as double minus signs or unmatched parentheses, without penalizing students for these mistakes.
• 💡 Hints are available to assist students who are struggling with problem-solving, authored by college-level physics instructors to provide a good starting point.
• 🔍 Feedback is provided specific to the mistakes made, using data mining and machine learning to tailor responses to common errors.
• 📚 The feedback system has been developed over five years, incorporating insights from tens of thousands of students and their mistakes.
• 📉 Expert TA is flexible and will recognize mathematically equivalent expressions, even if they are unnecessarily complex or use different notations.
• 🔧 If students believe their answer is correct but the system doesn't accept it, they are encouraged to seek help from their instructor or contact support for a potential fix.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of the Expert TA system?

The main purpose of the Expert TA system is to assist students in successfully completing physics assignments by providing a user-friendly interface for entering symbolic answers and offering features that minimize confusion and protect against careless syntax errors.

How does the Expert TA system help students with entering symbolic answers?

The Expert TA system provides an interface that includes a palette containing all necessary variables and functions for a given question, allowing students to enter answers by clicking buttons or typing, with the system guiding them to avoid syntax errors.

What happens if a student types a variable in a slightly different way in the Expert TA system?

The Expert TA system is designed to recognize and accept slight variations in how variables are typed, ensuring that students do not lose credit for minor differences in their input.

How does the Expert TA system prevent students from making syntax errors?

The system parses the student's answer as they type and toggles the available buttons to ensure that only mathematically sensible options are available at any given time, thus preventing common syntax errors.

What is the role of hints in the Expert TA system?

Hints in the Expert TA system are authored by college-level physics instructors and are designed to provide students with a good starting point for solving problems, often addressing common mistakes made by students.

How does the feedback feature in Expert TA work?

The feedback feature in Expert TA provides specific guidance related to the mistakes made by the student. It uses data mining and machine learning to analyze common errors and offers tailored feedback to help students correct their mistakes.

What should a student do if they believe their answer is correct but the Expert TA system did not accept it?

If a student is convinced that their answer is correct and the Expert TA system did not accept it, they should either consult their instructor or contact the system support for assistance.

How does the Expert TA system handle complex or unnecessarily complicated answers?

The Expert TA system is designed to recognize and accept any mathematically equivalent expressions, even if they are unnecessarily complex, ensuring that students are not penalized for the form of their answers.

What is the significance of the data mining and machine learning used in the Expert TA system?

Data mining and machine learning are used in the Expert TA system to analyze student mistakes and provide personalized feedback, enhancing the learning experience and helping students avoid repeating common errors.

How does the Expert TA system ensure that the feedback provided is helpful and relevant?

The Expert TA system ensures that feedback is helpful and relevant by using a combination of data analysis and hand-written feedback statements authored by college-level physics instructors, tailored to address specific student errors.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Expert TA Interface and Answer Entry

This paragraph discusses the Expert TA system's features designed to assist students in submitting symbolic expressions for physics problems. It emphasizes the ease of use of the interface, which includes a palette with necessary variables and functions, and the system's ability to guide students through correct syntax and avoid common errors. The instructor reassures students that they will not lose points for minor typing variations and that the system is designed to prevent syntax errors. It also mentions the availability of hints and feedback to help students with problem-solving, highlighting the system's use of data mining and machine learning to provide personalized feedback based on past student mistakes.

05:02

🔍 Understanding Feedback and Answer Flexibility in Expert TA

The second paragraph delves into the feedback mechanism of Expert TA, explaining how it uses data from past student submissions and instructor-authored feedback to guide current students. It assures students that the system is not overly strict with the format of their answers, as it recognizes mathematically equivalent expressions. The paragraph also addresses the possibility of errors in the system and encourages students to seek help from instructors or contact support if they believe their answer was marked incorrectly. The emphasis is on the system's commitment to accuracy and the importance of every point in the students' grades.

Keywords

💡Expert TA

Expert TA is an online platform designed to assist students in solving physics problems. It is mentioned as a system that helps students be successful by providing features for entering symbolic expressions and offering hints and feedback. In the script, Expert TA is used as a tool for students to work on different question types, with a focus on symbolic expression questions.

💡Symbolic Expressions

Symbolic expressions refer to mathematical expressions that use symbols to represent variables and operations. In the context of the video, students are asked to write expressions for physical quantities, such as forces. The script emphasizes that the Expert TA system is designed to minimize confusion and facilitate the entry of these expressions, ensuring that students can focus on the physics rather than the syntax of their answers.

💡Deductions

Deductions in this context refer to the points subtracted from an assignment due to incorrect answers or late submissions. The script mentions that instructors make decisions on deductions associated with submission attempts, which is a reminder to students to contact their instructors if they have questions about these deductions.

💡Interface

The term 'interface' in the script refers to the user interface of the Expert TA system. It is designed to be user-friendly, allowing students to enter symbolic answers without having to navigate complex menus or worry about syntax. The interface includes a palette with necessary variables and functions, which is a critical component of the system's user experience.

💡Palette

In the script, the 'palette' is a part of the Expert TA interface that contains all the variables and functions needed for a given question. It is mentioned as a feature that simplifies the process of entering answers by providing students with a visual list of available symbols and functions, thus reducing the chance of syntax errors.

💡Syntax Errors

Syntax errors are mistakes in the structure of a written or typed expression that make it incorrect or nonsensical. The script discusses how the Expert TA system is designed to protect students from making careless syntax errors, such as typing two minus symbols in a row or having mismatched parentheses, by providing real-time feedback and toggling available buttons based on the mathematical context.

💡Hints

Hints in the context of the video are guidance provided to students who are struggling with a problem. The script mentions that hints are authored by college-level physics instructors and are intended to offer a good starting point for solving problems. They often address common mistakes made by students, as illustrated by the example hint that clarifies the angle measurement for a physics problem.

💡Feedback

Feedback in the script refers to the specific guidance provided to students after they submit an answer in Expert TA. It is designed to be helpful and specific to the mistake made, rather than generic. The feedback is generated using data mining, machine learning, and hand-written statements by college-level physics instructors, as mentioned in the script, to help students learn from their mistakes.

💡Data Mining

Data mining is the process of extracting useful information from large sets of data. In the script, it is mentioned that data mining is used in conjunction with machine learning to analyze the mistakes made by students on Expert TA. This analysis helps in creating tailored feedback and hints for future students who make similar mistakes.

💡Machine Learning

Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that enables systems to learn and improve from experience without being explicitly programmed. The script explains that machine learning is used to analyze student mistakes on Expert TA, which then informs the creation of feedback and hints to assist students in their learning process.

💡Trig Identities

Trig identities are mathematical identities that relate different trigonometric functions. The script uses trig identities as an example to show that Expert TA is flexible and will recognize mathematically equivalent expressions. This means that students can use various forms of trigonometric identities to express their answers, and the system will still accept them as correct.

Highlights

Instructor decisions on deductions for submission attempts, axes, hints, feedback, and late work are discussed.

Students are encouraged to contact instructors with questions about assignment deductions.

The video focuses on system features designed to assist with symbolic expression questions in Expert TA.

Effort has been made to design an intuitive interface for entering symbolic answers.

The interface includes a palette with all necessary variables and functions for a given question.

Students can enter answers by clicking buttons or typing, with syntax assistance provided.

The system prevents syntax errors by toggling available buttons based on the mathematical context.

No points are deducted for syntax errors, ensuring students are not penalized for minor mistakes.

Hints are available to help students who are struggling with problem-solving.

Feedback is provided specifically tailored to the mistakes made by the student.

Data mining and machine learning are used to generate helpful feedback for students.

Expert TA does not penalize different forms of correct answers, recognizing mathematical equivalence.

The system is designed to be forgiving, with a focus on understanding the physics rather than syntax.

Instructor assistance is available for questions or issues regarding Expert TA.

The video concludes by emphasizing the importance of accurate grading and the availability of support.

Transcripts

in the expert TA overview video we

reviewed the main points and clicks of

the class management page and discussed

how instructors make decisions on

deductions associated with submission

attempts axes and hints and feedback and

late work as a reminder if you have any

questions about the deductions on an

assignment please contact your

instructor in this video we will take an

assignment an expert TA and discuss

system features designed to help you be

successful in expert TA you will

experience working different question

types this video will focus on questions

that require you to inner symbolic

expressions let's go ahead and work part

b of the problems showing on the screen

the problem is asking us to write an

expression for the sum of forces in the

x-direction as a student your time

should be spent thinking about the

physics and not spent trying to figure

out how to enter in an answer a lot of

effort has gone into the design of the

interface used to enter symbolic answers

there are several features in place to

minimize confusion you won't have to

search through drill down menus to find

a symbol or function you also won't have

to wonder about the syntax involved in

learning Greek symbols functions or

other variables the palette will contain

all the variables in terms you need for

a given question and some that you don't

wish instructors feel is an important

part of the assessment process you can

enter an answer by simply clicking a few

buttons you can also type to enter in

answers as you type the cosine you will

see how there are two choices available

the system will show you what to type

and what will be displayed cosine alpha

first cosine beta you can use your

keyboard to enter numbers and math

operators that you see on the right side

of the palette such as the minus sign

you will never lose credit for typing in

a variable in a slightly different way

because you are restricted to a defined

variable set for example if you try to

type in t one with HTML subscript tags

you would see that the system does not

register a match for this entry there

are also several features designed to

protect students from making careless

syntax errors you would never put two

minus symbols in a row when writing an

answer so we don't want you to

accidentally click the button twice

we actually parse your answer as you

type it and we toggle the button so

right so the only the things that make

sense mathematically are available at

any given time you can notice in this

case the minus sign is no longer

available it is possible to type in an

answer that has syntax errors but we

don't want you losing points or a

submission to Tim for these mistakes

for example let's enter an answer that

has more open parentheses than close

parentheses

you will notice the system lets us know

we have entered an incorrect answer with

non matching parentheses you will also

notice that in the grade summary all

submission attempts still remain and no

points have been deducted for entering

an incorrect answer in expert EA there

are hints available to you if you are

having trouble getting started on a

problem we recommend accessing hints

these hints are authored by college

level physics instructors and should

offer a good starting point for the

problem these hints often address common

mistakes that students have made while

solving these problems for example here

the second hit points out a key aspect

of this problem the angle alpha is

measured from the vertical axis rather

than the horizontal and this changes how

sine and cosine should be applied there

is also feedback available to you an

expert TA let's put in a few answers so

that we can talk about feedback the

correct answer to the question is t2

cosine beta minus t1 sine alpha as is

shown on the screen you shouldn't

necessarily know that right now since it

is the start of the semester but this

can still serve as an example let's make

this answer a few errors and also not be

as simplified as is possible let's put a

few extra parentheses around t1 and also

make the mistake of having cosine alpha

instead of sine alpha

once we submit our answer we are told

that feedback is available and if we

access that you can see that we are

warned about the angles the feedback is

specific to the mistake so if we put a

different incorrect answer we're gonna

receive a different message let's fix

our trig mistake and said make a sign

error

again you can see that the feedback is

not generic it's directly related to the

mistake that is made we strongly

encourage you to access feedback when it

is available if we don't have anything

meaningful to provide no feedback is

offered for this question t2 squared

minus T 1 cubed is really far from the

correct answer as you can see we

indicate that no specific feedback is

available and you can see that the

feedback button is disabled here we

recommend accessing available hints and

relevant material a visit to office

hours or an email to the TA or

instructor could be helpful again if we

do say we have feedback it means it is

probably pretty helpful we actually use

data mining machine learning and a lot

of hard work by college level physics

constructors in order to provide you

with the best feedback and help possible

every semester for over five years now

tens of thousands of students have used

extra TA and were assigned a lot of the

questions that will be assigned to you

this semester as those students did work

they made some mistakes as said earlier

we deta mind all those mistakes applied

machine learning then had college level

physics instructors author hand written

feedback statements that would be

helpful for you the student this is what

is presented to any future student

happens to make the same mistake finally

please don't worry about expert TA being

picky about what form your answers in it

doesn't matter if you put in extra

Prinze use trig identities or anything

like this

expert a will recognize any and all of

mathematically equivalent expressions to

demonstrate this you can see that the

expression on the screen is

unnecessarily complex 42 cosine beta I

have typed in cosine beta using a trig I

do me 1 minus sine beta squared is

cosine squared beta and if I divide it

by cosine beta

this will just be t2 cosine beta I've

also put in some extra Prinze that the

math engine will have to deal with

we should have minus t2 sine alpha but I

will put in plus t2 sine alpha and then

multiply by negative 1 again this is

unnecessarily complicated but the points

to show you that expert EI will

interpret and accept your answer even if

you type it in a vein

perform with that said of course there's

a chance that you put in the correct

answer and we didn't accept it our

technology is solid but we are always

adding to our collection of physics

questions and sometimes a new question

does have an error if you are convinced

your answer is correct either run it

past your instructor or contact us if

our answer isn't correct we will fix it

then fix your grade and the grade of any

other student who is also affected the

accuracy of your grades is important

every point counts this has been a very

detailed look at the equation question

type we hope this has been helpful