ATLAS fellow maps student understanding with novel approach

LAWRENCE — Imagine being able to pinpoint the moment a student's understanding takes a wrong turn, like a GPS recalculating after a missed exit. Hyunjoo Kim is working to make this possible by creating a more detailed map of student understanding.

Kim is the 2024 fellow for the University of Kansas' Accessible Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Systems (ATLAS). Kim will research the use of a novel approach to map student understanding. The approach uses graph theory to show how different skills and concepts connect and influence each other.

For example, a graph might show that understanding one skill is necessary for mastering another, or that two skills are related and often learned together. This information can help inform instructional decisions.

“This project is an extension of my previous research,” Kim said. “I believe the findings of this research could significantly contribute to education research and support more realistic and flexible assessments.”

Kim’s research proposal, “Learning Attribute Hierarchies in Cognitive Diagnosis from Data: A Graph-Theoretic Approach,” impressed members of the ATLAS fellowship selection committee.

“We saw a promising proposal with a strong methodology and potential benefits for both the center and the field,” said Jeff Hoover, a psychometrician on the selection committee.

Kim is set to begin research through the fellowship program this fall and plans to have a final research report in the spring. She will work with an adviser from her university and collaborate with ATLAS researchers during her fellowship.

Kim is a quantitative psychology doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Upon completion of her doctorate, she aspires to pursue a career in academia or within an ed tech company, where she can continue to contribute to the field of education assessment and measurement.

About ATLAS

ATLAS, a center within the Achievement & Assessment Institute at the University of Kansas, promotes learning and improved outcomes by creating accessible and academically rigorous technology-based learning and assessment systems. Visit the ATLAS website to learn more.