I’ve been thinking a lot about how education technology affects learning for better and worse now that the coronavirus pandemic is forcing everyone to use a lot more of it. This small Carnegie Mellon University study, in which teachers wore smart glasses, fascinates me because it delves into the unintended psychological consequences of monitoring student data, something that’s bound to become more commonplace in the years ahead.

• More than half the learning gains that the researchers documented were achieved merely by the teachers’ wearing functionally limited smart glasses in which the data analytics were turned off.
• Student psychology appears to be at play. Students were more diligent and less likely to avoid work or game the system when they saw their teacher wearing the glasses regardless of whether the teacher was actually using them.
• The study was only a week long. These psychological effects could dissipate as the novelty of the smart glasses wears off.
• The study also found that at least some of the students’ learning gains could be attributed to teachers’ use of data analytics.

• Researchers are developing data dashboards that allow teachers to roam around a classroom while they monitor student progress in real time. Carnegie Mellon assistant professor Ken Holstein is developing virtual reality glasses so that teachers do not have to look at a computer screen or tablet during instruction.
• Holstein advises against using this study to increase monitoring of students because it could detract from a positive classroom climate for learning.

1. Kenneth Holstein, Bruce M. McLaren, and Vincent Aleven, “Student Learning Benefits of a Mixed-reality Teacher Awareness Tool in AI-enhanced Classrooms” Proceedings from the 2018 conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education.
2. Pierce, Lamar, Daniel Snow, and Andrew McAfee. (2015). “Cleaning House: The Impact of Information Technology on Employee Corruption and Productivity” Management Science 61(10): 2299-2319.