About the Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center

1. About the Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center Funded by the National Science Foundation, the Pittsburgh Science of Learning Center (PSLC) provides a novel research facility, called LearnLab. LearnLab is an internationally available resource designed to dramatically increase the ease and speed with which learning researchers can create the rigorous, theory-based experiments that pave the way to an understanding of robust learning. A Facility for Rigorous Learning Research In pursuit of providing a facility where researchers can conduct rigorous laboratory-quality studies in a realistic classroom setting, the PSLC has created seven highly instrumented technology-enhanced online courses, called LearnLabs. These courses include mathematics, physical science, and second languages at the high school and college level. LearnLab courses incorporate intelligent tutoring systems and face-to-face and computer-mediated peer, tutor, and instructor interactions. Use of technology-enhanced courses produces volumes of high-density data both on the short-term consequences of variation in learning processes and on effects of these changes on long-term retention, transfer, and accelerated future learning (i.e., robust learning). Technology facilitates realism in learning studies by making it feasible to embed experimental manipulations in the context of real courses that persist over weeks, months, or years. In addition, LearnLab technologies are being developed to enable the creation of experimental materials and the analysis of data. LearnLab Courses and LearnLab Technologies LearnLab courses currently exist for high school-level Algebra and Geometry, and college-level Physics, Chemistry, French, Chinese, and English as a Second Language. LearnLab courses and technologies serve three purposes: to provide a testbed for experimentation, to create new kinds of data analysis tools, and to develop authoring tools for advanced educational technology. These tools are intended to make it easier for experimenters to develop experimental materials and to analyze the resulting data. Once a tool has been developed and refined with real users, it is taken over by the PSLC Data Shop which provides user support and software maintenance. For More Information: Visit us on the web @ www.LearnLab.org Email us @ pslc-submit @lists.andrew.cmu.edu Call us @ (412) 268-8616 PSLC Managing Director 3507 NSH Carnegie Mellon 5000 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213

2. Participate in the PSLC Research Community • The PSLC welcomes learning researchers to design and conduct experiments in the context of the LearnLab courses. Projects in our facility are intended to produce results that survive rigorous experimentation with laboratory-quality methods in real classroom settings. Our mission is to integrate these results into computationally-inspired, experimentally-grounded theories of how and when robust learning occurs. We encourage you to join us in this mission and take advantage of the many levels of support offered by the PSLC: a community of learning researchers available for collaboration, a diverse Executive Committee committed to providing valuable feedback at all stages of the development and implementation of research projects, limited funding, and the use of the LearnLab courses and LearnLab technologies for the purpose of conducting high-quality experiments. • We have a three-stage semi-annual project review process for all projects, with project plans being requested by January 15 and June 30 of each year. The three stages are: Letter of Intent, Pre-submission Formative Presentation, and Project Plan Submission. Please visit our website, www.learnlab.org, for more information about the PSLC and guidelines for project plans. • Important PSLC Dates: • November 1: Letter of intent cutoff date (post-doctoral candidates are encouraged to submit during this round) • December 1: Pre-submission formative presentation in Pittsburgh or by phone • January 15: Project plan due • February 15: Executive Committee response is mailed to PI’s • April 15: Letter of intent cutoff date (for post-doctoral candidates as well) • May 15: Pre-submission formative presentation in Pittsburgh or by phone • June 30: Project plan due • July 31: Executive Committee response is mailed to PI’s For More Information: Visit us on the web @ www.learnlab.org Email us @ pslc-submit @lists.andrew.cmu.edu Call us @ (412) 268-8616 PSLC Managing Director 3507 NSH Carnegie Mellon 5000 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213