06. Expanding R to AI/ML in Education

So far, our exploration of AI and ML in R has used databases of historical interest that may not seem relevant to today’s needs. In this page, we will explore two aspects of educational (and general soci0-human services) applications. The first will explore a dataset from actual K-12 students. The second will explore ways that a school administrator, teacher, or government official can conveniently access and explore that data and its predictions.

This education dataset comes from the UCI Machine Learning Library supported (in part) by the National Science Foundation. In it you can find datasets on a huge range of topics that may be used for your own learning and teaching. We will use the “Student Performance Data Set” from a 2008 study attempting to predict academic performance in two Portuguese K-12 schools (in math and Portuguese language classes). The dataset contains data on 649 students (rows) and 33 features (columns). It has been accessed over 500,000 times for AI/ML data study! Here’s the link: https://archive.ics.uci.edu/ml/datasets/student+performance. The student-mat.csv and student.txt files contain the math data (csv) and the column descriptions (txt).

How Do “Users” Access & Explore Data Analyses/Predictions?

Both R and Python can create data “dashboards” that provide graphical or numeric displays or graphs; the dashboards can also provide input widgets for users like pull-down menus, sliders, or search boxes. The “Shiny” library provides basic dashboard functions in R. There are many tutorials that cover R Shiny Dashboard examples and skills, and these two provide a very smooth and simple introduction. NOTE that Shiny dashboards require both a “UI” and a “Server” file to be running as an R app. The tutorials provide a clear example, but the UI and server concepts may be very new to you:

Combine both ideas: Create your own Dashboard Elements!

Using data from the Portuguese Student Performance Data Set, add display and input control elements to your R Shiny Dashboard!

More AI and Machine Learning Ideas and Case Studies

Here are two articles on AI /ML applications in education. The first is a sociological application proposed by a Japanese school to reduce bullying. The second is an important article on AI’s potential to Personalize Learning!