Janice Gobert

Janice Gobert, Ph.D., is Professor of Educational Psychology in the Department of Educational Psychogy at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education. She has developed a technology for learning that makes use of data mining and eye tracking. With five patents for her technology and two in review, her cutting edge work focuses on the personalized learning of science, and assessment to replace summative tests. In essence, the technology monitors students performing a complex task and records metrics on how well they perform science operations as opposed to reciting rote facts on multiple-choice tests. While working on virtual experiments, students can be evaluated in what is called a real-time performance assessment. The results and metrics obtained from this technology are compared to what students write, which is then used to provide students with the personalized help they need to succeed in the science classroom. By using big data techniques, Dr. Gobert is able to obtain personalized learning metrics to learn exactly what and how students are learning, which can then alert the teacher in real-time so that they can offer support on the spot. Gobert is a strong believer in tailoring content to the student in order to maximize understanding, especially if a student is falling behind (and underrepresented students most especially). This technology is currently in 43 states, with some being research sites and others trial sites.