This is funding to support travel by 25 students currently enrolled in PhD programs in the United States to participate in the ITS (Intelligent Tutoring Systems) Doctoral Student Consortium, at the upcoming International ITS Conference, to be held June 23rd-27th 2008, in Montreal, Quebec. The ITS International Conference is the premier biennial event for promoting promotes rigorous research and development of interactive and adaptive learning environments for learners of all ages; ITS will be the 9th event in the series. The interdisciplinary areas that ITS represents, comprising cognitive science, computer science, and educational technology, are critical research domains that enhance the effectiveness and usability of software learning systems. Active participation of young researchers in this conference is very important, both for the health of the field and for the researchers themselves. The ITS 2008 Young Researcher's Track (YRT) provides a unique opportunity for PhD students partway through their dissertation research to receive valuable feedback and individual mentoring from top researchers in the field. The YRT officially takes place on June 25-27, 2008 during the three days of the conference that follow the pre-conference workshops and tutorials. The program format dedicated to the students will include three 1.5 hour structured poster sessions open to all conference participants. Students will be paired-up with a senior member of the ITS community who serve as a mentor during the conference. The PI holds an active leadership roles within ITS 2008, and personally holds over $1.5 million of NSF grants in the areas of advanced learning technologies and intelligent tutoring systems.
Bringing young and creative researchers to ITS 2008 will help advance an important and socially valuable interdisciplinary research field. For many graduate students, the cost of attending the conference exceeds their travel budget. Thus, NSF funding will significantly impact the careers of the next generation of ITS researchers, by enabling a number of them to take part in an important event they would otherwise have to miss; in particular, those who lack funding from other sources (e.g., advisor's grants). The students will have an opportunity to gain wider exposure in the community for their innovative work, and to obtain feedback and guidance from senior members of the research community. Participation will also help foster a sense of community among these young researchers, by allowing them to create a social network both among themselves and with senior researchers at a critical stage in their professional development. The PI and co-PI have indicated that they will act to assure participation by members of traditionally under-represented institutions, and will pay close attention to inclusion of minorities and women.
