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Panoramic view on the North Campus © Jürgen Huhn​/​TU Dortmund
FUNDS FROM LEIBNIZ ASSOCIATION

Gaining a Better Understanding of Mathematical Thinking with the Help of AI

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The picture shows children sitting at computers from the side. © AdobeStock
Teachers can use the “Mastering Math Online Check” to diagnose whole classes.
Since 2010, researchers at the Institute for Development and Research in Mathematics Education (IEEM) at TU Dortmund University have been developing a diagnostic and support concept called “Mastering Math”. This includes, among other things, an online check that helps teachers to understand their students’ thought processes. The aim is to give students in the fourth to sixth grade targeted schooling in mathematics on the basis of this diagnostic tool. Dr. Corinna Hankeln and Professor Susanne Prediger from the IEEM, together with colleagues from two Leibniz institutes, have now been able to raise funds from the Leibniz Association to further upgrade the online check with the help of artificial intelligence (AI).

“More and more of Germany’s federal states are introducing ‘Mastering Math’. Several hundred schools are already applying the concept in everyday teaching practice,” reports project manager Professor Susanne Prediger. “Math teachers have 45 diagnostic and support modules at their disposal that they can use in the fourth to sixth grade to help students develop the basic understanding of mathematics that many of them lack. But to address specific needs and provide targeted support, teachers need to know exactly what the children haven’t understood.” This is where the “Mastering Math Online Check” comes in, a digital assessment platform that teachers can use flexibly to diagnose entire classes or smaller groups.

Portrait of Prof. Susanne Prediger © privat
Susanne Prediger has been Professor for Mathematics Education at TU Dortmund University since 2006.

The online check was developed over the past years by TU Dortmund University together with the “DIPF | Leibniz Institute for Research and Information in Education” and the “Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN)”. It is already available for schools in Hesse and Brandenburg, and from spring it will also be available in North Rhine-Westphalia and probably other federal states as well.

More thorough diagnosis, simpler analysis with AI

The aim now is to further upgrade the online check with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). To this end, the three partners have managed to raise 1 million euros within the “Leibniz Transfer” funding program for the project “Assessment for Learning with Artificial Intelligence (ALwAI)”, which will run from 2025 to 2027. The aim is to upgrade the online check so that it is as accessible as possible for students – for example via handwritten text recognition (HTR) or voice input. In parallel, teachers will receive AI-based suggestions for evaluating the answers and supporting students. Dr. Corinna Hankeln from the IEEM, the project’s co-manager, explains: “This will enable us to gain deeper insights into the mathematical thinking of school students so that teachers can then offer support that is as customized as possible to their needs.”

Integrating AI in a practicable way

The project team is working on the integration of AI in close collaboration between science and educational practice, with both sides contributing their experience and expertise. Researchers and teachers are together examining which AI tools are suitable for integration and how. The upgraded components of the online check will then be tested and evaluated in larger groups. As part of the overall process, the researchers will also develop training measures to accompany the introduction and use of AI in the “Mastering Math” digital diagnostic modules so that teachers can use AI reflectively. Teachers and students can access the diagnostic modules via the “alea.schule” platform. This collaboration builds on successful projects that the scientific project team has jointly implemented in the past and brings together different areas of expertise. The DIPF is mainly responsible for developing the platform and the AI extensions. Beyond that, it is contributing its experience in the realization of science-practice partnerships. The IPN is responsible above all for implementation and teacher training, while TU Dortmund University establishes the link to other components of the “Mastering Math” diagnostic and support concept.

Further information on “Mastering Math”

Further information on the “alea.schule” platform

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