Leena Razzaq

Lecturer

College of Computer and Information Science WVH310B

Northeastern University

Teaching

This semester, I am teaching Fundamentals of Computer Science 1 (CS 2500) and
Computer Science and its Applications (CS1100)

Research

My research focuses on improving student learning from educational technologies. I am most interested in the areas of intelligent tutoring systems, human-computer interaction and user modeling. My Ph.D. dissertation focused on adapting tutoring strategies to students of differing abilities. My work is interdisciplinary and I have collaborated with researchers in the fields of Computer Science, Cognitive Psychology, Education, Mathematics and Psychometrics.

I was a postdoctoral researcher for the Center for Knowledge Communication. The CKC is a research group in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. We develop tutoring systems that are capable of functioning responsively, comprehensively, and flexibly to a wide variety of students, within a variety of domains, and with multiple tutoring strategies. Currently, I am working on a system called 4mality for 3rd and 4th grade students learning to solve math word problems. For each problem in 4mality, there are strategies and suggestions authored from a particular problem-solving point of view. Four virtual coaches are designed to capture the character of different problem-solving approaches.

I was a primary member of the ASSISTment Project which is a web-based tutoring system that assesses while it tutors. My role in this project was Content Director, where I was in charge of designing how problems are tutored to students. This can involve writing question text, drawing images and animations and designing tutor strategies. I was also in charge of approving content that other group members have designed. I spent a large amount of time in middle schools and high schools in the Worcester area, helping teachers use the system in their classrooms and running randomized controlled studies to determine the best tutoring practices. I have helped to advise many undergraduate students who have completed projects with the ASSISTment Project.

Education

• Ph.D. in Computer Science. Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA. 2009.
  • Dissertation committee:
    • Neil T. Heffernan, Associate Professor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
    • David Brown, Professor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
    • Robert Lindeman, Associate Professor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
    • Beverly Park Woolf, Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst
• M.S. in Computer Science, Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Feb, 2004.
• B.S. in Computer Science, Worcester Polytechnic Institute. May, 2002 .

Publications

Book Chapters

• B2. Razzaq, L. & Heffernan, N. (2010) Open content Authoring Tools. In Nkambou, Bourdeau & Mizoguchi (Eds.) Advances in Intelligent Tutoring Systems. Springer Verlag, 425-439.
• B1. Razzaq, Heffernan, Koedinger, Feng, Nuzzo-Jones, Junker, Macasek, Rasmussen, Turner & Walonoski (2007). Blending Assessment and Instructional Assistance. In Nadia Nedjah, Luiza deMacedo Mourelle, Mario Neto Borges and Nival Nunesde Almeida (Eds). Intelligent Educational Machines within the Intelligent Systems Engineering Book Series. 23-49 Springer Berlin / Heidelberg. pdf

Journal Papers

• J4. Razzaq, L., Parvarczki, J., Almeida, S.F., Vartak, M., Feng, M., Heffernan, N.T. and Koedinger, K. (2009). The ASSISTment builder: Supporting the Life-cycle of ITS Content Creation. IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies Special Issue on Real-World Applications of Intelligent Tutoring Systems. 2(2) 157-166. pdf
• J3. Mendicino, M., Razzaq, L. & Heffernan, N. T. (2009) Comparison of Traditional Homework with Computer Supported Homework. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(3), 331-359. pdf
• J2. Heffernan, N. T., Koedinger, K. R. & Razzaq, L. (2008) Expanding the model-tracing architecture: A 3rd generation intelligent tutor for Algebra symbolization. The International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education. 18(2). pp. 153-178. IOS Press. pdf
• J1. Razzaq, L., Heffernan, N., Feng, M., Pardos Z. (2007). Developing Fine-Grained Transfer Models in the ASSISTment System. Journal of Technology, Instruction, Cognition, and Learning, 5(3), 289-304. pdf

Peer Reviewed Conference Papers

• C11. Razzaq, L., Maloy, R., Edwards, S., Marshall, D., Arroyo, I., Woolf, B. (2011) 4MALITY: Coaching Students with Different Problem-Solving Strategies Using an Online Tutoring System. Accepted to the 2011 User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization Conference
• C10. Razzaq, L. & Heffernan, N. (2010) Hints: Is It Better to Give or Wait to be Asked? In Aleven, V., Kay, J & Mostow, J. (Eds) Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS2010) Part 1. Springer. Pages 349-358.
• C9. Shrestha, P., Maharjan, A., Wei, X., Razzaq, L., Heffernan, N.T., Heffernan, C. (2009) Are Worked Examples an Effective Feedback Mechanism During Problem Solving? In N.A. Taatgen & H. van Rijn (Eds.), Proceedings of the 31th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Cognitive Science Society. pdf
• C8. Razzaq, L., Heffernan, N.T. (2009) To Tutor or Not to Tutor: That is the Question. In Dimitrova, Mizoguchi, du Boulay and Graesser (Eds.) Proceedings of the Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education. pp. 457-464. Honorable Mention for Best Student Paper pdf
• C7. Razzaq, L., Mendicino, M. & Heffernan, N. (2008) Comparing classroom problem-solving with no feedback to web-based homework assistance. In Woolf, Aimeur, Nkambou and Lajoie (Eds.) Proceeding of the 9th International Conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems. pp. 426 - 437. Springer-Verlag: Berlin. pdf
• C6. Razzaq, L., Heffernan, N.T., Towards Designing a User-Adaptive Web-Based E-Learning System, In Mary Czerwinski, Arnold M. Lund, Desney S. Tan (Eds.): Extended Abstracts Proceedings of the 2008 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2008, (pp. 3525-3530). Florence, Italy: ACM 2008. pdf
• C5. Razzaq, L., Heffernan, N. T., Lindeman, R. W. (2007) What level of tutor interaction is best? In Luckin & Koedinger (Eds) Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education. IOS Press. pp. 222-229. pdf
• C4. Razzaq, L., Heffernan, N.T. (2006). Scaffolding vs. hints in the Assistment System. In Ikeda, Ashley & Chan (Eds.). Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems. Springer-Verlag: Berlin. pp. 635-644. 2006. pdf
• C3. K. Bush, J. Gray, M. Holmes, K. Kosinski, J. Orr, L. Razzaq, J. Rulfs (2006) How do you Teach Engineering in Kindergarten and First Grade? Proceedings of the 113th American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, June 18-21, 2006. pdf
• C2. Razzaq, L., Feng, M., Nuzzo-Jones, G., Heffernan, N.T., Koedinger, K. R., Junker, B., Ritter, S., Knight, A., Aniszczyk, C., Choksey, S., Livak, T., Mercado, E., Turner, T.E., Upalekar. R, Walonoski, J.A., Macasek. M.A., Rasmussen, K.P. (2005). The Assistment Project: Blending Assessment and Assisting. In C.K. Looi, G. McCalla, B. Bredeweg, & J. Breuker (Eds.) Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education, pp. 555-562. Amsterdam: IOS Press. pdf
• C1. Razzaq, L. & Heffernan, N. T (2004) Tutorial dialog in an equation solving intelligent tutoring system. In J.C. Lester, R.M. Vicari, & F. Parguacu (Eds.) Proceedings of 7th Annual Intelligent Tutoring Systems Conference, Maceio, Brazil. Pages 851-853. Best Poster Award pdf