Summer Science Scholars Project Kickoff: Intelligent Tutoring System for POGIL Activities
Day 1 – Monday, May 12: Vision, Strategy, and Planning
Morning (9:00 – 12:00)
- Welcome & Introductions
- Icebreaker Activity: “Why this project matters to me”
- Project Vision:
- Overview of ITS for POGIL goals
- Educational impact, AI potential, and future classroom use
- Strategy Discussion:
- Phased project plan and development sprints
- Research deliverables: system + activities + paper
Afternoon (1:00 – 4:30)
- POGIL Foundations Workshop:
- What is POGIL? How is it different from other pedagogy?
- Group roles and student collaboration dynamics
- Platform Overview:
- High-level architecture walkthrough
- Existing functionality (e.g., doc parsing, role assignment, AI integration)
- Roles & Strengths Discussion:
- Each participant shares technical/interests background
- Tentative work areas (backend, frontend, AI, activity design)
Day 2 – Tuesday, May 13: Technical Onboarding and Activity Research
Morning (9:00 – 12:00)
- Development Platform Setup:
- GitHub access, project cloning
- Node.js, MariaDB/PostgreSQL, React dev setup
- Running local dev environment
- Codebase Tour:
- Backend routes, database schema
- Frontend architecture and rendering
- Key functions and pending features
Afternoon (1:00 – 4:30)
- POGIL Activity Research:
- Review existing COMP 118/119 activities
- Tag and prioritize POGILs for conversion
- Markup Syntax & Conversion Session:
- How to translate plain-text POGILs to new syntax
- Pairwork: convert and preview 1–2 activities
- Design Brainstorm:
- Whiteboard system gaps, UI ideas, and AI enhancement opportunities
Day 3 – Wednesday, May 14: Planning, Testing, and Roles
Morning (9:00 – 10:40)
- System Specification Workshop:
- Finalize and document component-level design
- Group review of API endpoints, schema, UI layout
- Test Plan Discussion:
- What and how to test: functionality, AI behavior, student flows
- Begin building a regression test list
Afternoon (1:15 – 4:30)
- Working Group Formation:
- Assign development leads: e.g., frontend, backend, AI, testing
- Assign activity leads: tagging, converting, writing new POGILs
- Task Board Setup (e.g., GitHub Projects, Trello):
- Define initial tasks, due dates, priorities
- Sprint 1 Planning:
- What gets done by end of May?
- Setup async check-ins for when Skon is abroad
Day 4 – Thursday, May 15: Workday and Sync
Morning (9:00 – 12:00)
- Hands-On Development Time:
- Fix deployment issues, connect sheets, parse sample activity
- Convert/validate 1–2 POGIL activities in the system
- Debugging & Peer Check-ins
Afternoon (1:00 – 4:30)
- Code Jam (small group or pair-based tasks):
- One pair tackles AI feedback config
- One pair on activity rendering preview
- Group Sync (3:30 – 4:30):
- Share progress, blockers, and goals
- Document takeaways and action items before next week