Researchers from the University of Alicante (UA) are leading a project to develop a methodology based on emotion and artificial intelligence. To do this, they implemented AI in the classroom to detect changes in students’ attention levels and thus be able to make changes to the methodology.

This is a MEEBAI project in which researchers from the Faculty of Education and the Higher Polytechnic School (HPS) UA are working on new software that can detect and analyze the learning environment using artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning (deep learning) technologies. education), as stated in the statement of the educational institution, according to Europa Press.

UA Professor of Educational Technology Rosabelle Roig Vila emphasized that they need to work on the emotions of students and modulate learning with artificial intelligence so that it is “quality”. The goal is to accelerate the transition to intelligent learning and streamline learning both online and in person.

For his part, UA Computing Professor Miguel Cazorla noted that if they can measure students’ attention levels, they can “propose improvement strategies that will influence interest in the content offered in the classroom.”

“This is one of the first experiences where the team can automatically monitor various variables with the ultimate goal of introducing a new methodology based on the results provided by AI to improve the teaching and learning environment,” said Roig Villa.

Direction of view

In the first phase of the project, which currently involves an interdisciplinary working group related to technology and education, a system was developed to detect changes in the level of attention of students by analyzing variables such as posture, gaze direction, emotions (positive, neutral or negative) and biometric data: pulse and blood pressure.

“Once we collect all of this information, we will be able to know the correlation of all these variables with the level of attention, that is, whether there are changes in heart rate or gaze direction when the student is not paying attention. “, Cazorla said.

The researchers are going to collect data in UA classrooms using cameras and various computer vision techniques, as well as activity bracelets to collect biometric data. Thus, with the help of AI, if the system detects that a large number of students are not paying enough attention, a team of educational researchers can redesign and test new methodologies that improve the teaching and learning process.

The MEEBAI project is funded by the Prometeo Program for Research Groups of Excellence (Prometeo 2022) of the Ministry of Innovation, Universities, Science and Digital Society Generalitat Valenciana.

With a donation of almost 600,000 euros, this is the only project related to educational sciences that is subsidized in this edition of the Prometeo programme. The MEEBAI working group includes researchers from UA, the University of Valencia and the Universities of Seville, Murcia and the Rey Juan Carlos University of Madrid.