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A Systematic Review of Knowledge Tracing and Large Language Models in Education : Opportunities, Issues, and Future Research
No full textvii, 27 p.Knowledge Tracing (KT) is a research field that aims to estimate a student's knowledge state through learning interactions—a crucial component of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs). Despite significant advancements, no current KT models excel in both predictive accuracy and interpretability. Meanwhile, Large Language Models (LLMs), pre-trained on vast natural language datasets, have emerged as powerful tools with immense potential in various educational applications. This systematic review explores the intersections, opportunities, and challenges of combining KT models and LLMs in educational contexts. The review first investigates LLM applications in education, including their adaptability to domain-specific content and ability to support personalized learning. It then examines the development and current state of KT models, from traditional to advanced approaches, aiming to uncover potential challenges that LLMs could mitigate. The core of this review focuses on integrating LLMs with KT, exploring three primary functions: addressing general concerns in KT fields, overcoming specific KT model limitations, and performing as KT models themselves. Our findings reveal that LLMs can be customized for specific educational tasks through tailor-making techniques such as in-context learning and agentbased approaches, effectively managing complex and unbalanced educational data. These models can enhance existing KT models' performance and solve cold-start problems by generating relevant features from question data. However, both current models depend heavily on structured, limited datasets, missing opportunities to use diverse educational data that could offer deeper insights into individual learners and support various educational settings
Michigan Election Data Analysis
No full textiii, 24 p.This paper details my efforts to further develop a Michigan election results database I created in 2022 and use it for data analysis. This database was created with the R programming language within the RStudio IDE. The main object of the project was to use elections results from 2016 through 2022 as well as demographic data to predict how the 2024 election results would look around the state for the federal and State House races. This is distinct from most election forecasts which attempt to predict the final overall margins, as I instead tried to predict how different areas would vote relative to the state down to the precinct level. After the election, I also worked to gather as much election data as possible from county websites in order to perform some analysis on how the election actually played out
The Effects of a Novel Hydrogel Sodium Bicarbonate Supplement on 1-Mile Time Trial Performance
No full textiv, 14 p.Research over multiple decades has shown that sodium bicarbonate is a safe and effective ergogenic aid for high intensity exercise. However, the benefits of sodium bicarbonate supplementation are often outweighed by gastrointestinal side effects. Recently, a novel sodium bicarbonate supplement has been developed that employs a carbohydrate-based hydrogel delivery system. This “bicarb system” supposedly reduces GI distress side effects by allowing the bicarbonate to more easily pass through the stomach and absorbed in the small intestine. This study’s goal was to evaluate the novel supplement’s ability to improve high intensity exercise performance with reduced GI distress compared to a control condition and a vegetarian enteric coated bicarbonate tablet. Eleven well-trained runners participated in the study, where they completed 1-mile treadmill time trials in a counterbalanced order: A control (C) condition with no supplementation, a 0.2 g∙kg-1 body weight dose of sodium bicarbonate tablets (T), and a 0.2 g∙kg-1 body weight dose of sodium bicarbonate via carbohydrate hydrogel delivery system (M). There were no significant differences in mile time across conditions, although there were significantly higher peak blood lactate concentration between the C and T conditions. There were also no significant differences in GI distress across conditions. This study found that dosages of either bicarbonate supplementation at a 0.2 g∙kg-1 body weight were not sufficient at improving mile time performance had no significant incidence of GI distress symptoms. From these results, coaches, athletes, and nutritionists practicing within in the middle-distance running domain may want to consider higher dosages above 0.2 g∙kg-1 BW to elicit the ergogenic effects of sodium bicarbonate, and may not want to invest in this novel and more expensive form of sodium bicarbonate supplementation until further research is conducted
Ghosts of the Corrupted : A Collection of Short Stories
No full textxxx, 65 p.As an avid horror lover, I wanted to create my own collection of short horror stories that explore both fictitious and realistic monsters. These stories provide commentary on the dangers of corruption, especially within American capitalism
Un Diario Dedicado a mis Recuerdos : Healing my Heart, Body, Mind, & Soul : A Poetry Collection
No full textxiii, 68 p.Healing is a process. It's an ongoing process. Everyone heals in different ways. I chose my SIP as a part of my healing journey. I chose to put myself in a vulnerable position to write poems inspired by my life. Growing up I never learned to express my emotions. My parents were very traditional as I did grow up in a traditional Mexican household. There was never a conversation about how to express emotions. There wasn't a safe space to acknowledge nuestros sentimientos. Writing poems in my journals became my safe space to express my emotions. I have heavily relied on my journal to keep my emotions out but also keep them safe. It took me a while to figure out how to safely express my emotions but also how to create a safe space for myself
Generation of a Quantitative Neuropathology Brain Bank for Parkinson’s and Related Diseases
No full textv, 37 p.Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), are defined by progressive accumulation of pathological aggregates that disrupt neural circuits and lead to widespread brain atrophy. Accurate neuropathological staging is essential for understanding disease progression, yet current frameworks rely heavily on subjective interpretation of histological features. Traditional staging approaches, such as Braak staging for α-synuclein and tau pathology, provide critical diagnostic criteria but often fail to account for regional variability and subtle pathological changes at the cellular level. As a result, there is a growing need for refined methodologies that enhance the granularity and reproducibility of staging criteria, particularly for assessing disease burden across multiple brain regions. In this study, we utilized QuPath, an advanced open source bioimage analysis platform, to systematically quantify neuropathological hallmarks across a comprehensive set of brain regions. High-resolution stained histological sections were analyzed to assess pathological burden with greater precision, reducing reliance on qualitative scoring methods. By leveraging computational pathology tools, we aimed to refine current staging frameworks and enhance the objectivity of disease progression models. Our findings underscore the potential of quantitative histological analysis in improving diagnostic accuracy, facilitating more precise correlation with clinical phenotypes, and advancing the development of more individualized neuropathological staging paradigms
Thermal Trade-offs and Genetic Rescue in PAH-Tolerant Atlantic Killifish (F. Heteroclitus)
No full textvi, 37 p.Human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC) exposes organisms to multiple stressors, producing unanticipated effects. Exposure to toxic pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) often lead to adaptation with physiological trade-offs. This is the case for Atlantic killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) populations inhabiting historically contaminated river sites now undergoing remediation. Decreased thermal tolerance because of the bioenergetic costs of PAH-tolerance presents challenges especially when considering the worsening effects of climate change. To determine how rescuable thermal biology traits are in killifish populations from contaminated sites, I created populations of all pairwise combinations of killifish from the contaminated and uncontaminated reference sites and exposed them to different temperature treatments. I then measured their growth and critical thermal maximum (CTmax) to quantify the metabolic performance of larval killifish when PAH selection is removed, and migrant reference site individuals are included in the breeding population. Interestingly, there were not clear patterns between populations and growth rate and CTmax across temperature treatments. Additionally, canalization of both growth rate and CTmax at high temperatures demonstrates that hybridization and genetic rescue may not be necessary or helpful. Further experimentation taking into account river remediation and subsequent relaxed selection pressure, will help explore the fitness and evolutionary trajectory of killifish populations
Living a Practice : Directing and Acting in the String’s the Thing a Directing Sip
No full textv, 30 p.The essay Living a Practice: Directing & Acting in The String’s the Thing is a part of my Senior Integrated Project for Theatre Arts major at Kalamazoo College, an attempt to reflect on the creative process I went through from Spring of 2024 to Spring of 2025 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. This essay was intended as a biographical document for any creative who might be interested in what the process of creating looked like for me during this time. Integrating inner dialogues and stream-of-consciousnesslike- thoughts helped me express more honestly about the states of my being, the reasonings behind creative choices, and the steps taken to implement the vision during The String’s the Thing at Festival Playhouse, performed on March 15 and 16, 2025
AI and the Commodification of Art: Redefining Value in the 21st Century
No full textiii, 34 p.This essay examines the multifaceted nature of art valuation in the 21st century, focusing on the distinct strategies employed by auction houses like Christie's and Sotheby's to commodify artworks. By contrasting the sales of Leonardo da Vinci's historically significant Salvator Mundi with the AI-generated Edmond de Belamy, this analysis reveals how technological novelty and market hype drive valuation for AI creations and how the historical provenance shapes value in traditional masterpieces. Further exploration into the ephemeral and modern works of Memories of Passersby I and Comedian adds a new value dynamic by exploring the ephemeral nature of art in a high stakes transaction. These contrasts highlight an evolving system where value is not merely based on artistic merit, but also on brand name, market forces, technological influence, and the unique commodification strategies that each auction house develops, presenting a new understanding of the digital and art relationship. This essay argues that contemporary art valuation is increasingly shaped by competing forces: the historical authority of traditional masterpieces, the speculative allure of technological innovation, and the performative nature of ephemeral art. By analyzing the distinct strategies of Christie’s and Sotheby’s—one rooted in legacy and artistic heritage, the other in transience and conceptual disruption—this paper examines how these forces reshape the mechanisms of artistic valuation, raising critical questions about the future of artistic production, ownership, and meaning in an increasingly commodified world
“Voices of American Womanhood at the Turn of the 20th Century” : A Study in Identity Formation and Culture in the Writings of American Women
No full textx, 66 p.Dickinson, Cooper and Wharton are writing in not only distinct time periods, but in conversation with very distinct cultural influences. Each author has her own motivation for writing, and each author chose her medium to reflect that motivation. The diverse range of ideas reflected in the writings of these women show the diversity of the female identity in America at the turn of the century. Each piece of writing is effective in analyzing and pushing against the cultural boundaries for women in American because the efficacy of cultural shaping is controlled by the American population. For Dickinson, poetry was the best way to capture her internal debates around domesticity, and those poems resonated with female readers. For Cooper, the manifesto was the best way to deliver a straightforward and easily digestible message to her white middle-class readership. And for Wharton, the novel was the most effective way to explore ideas that were relevant both to the American Gilded Age and to the post war era. These women were experts in the improvisation, experiment, and exchange Greenblatt identifies as key mechanisms for establishing cultural boundaries, and they all contributed, in their own ways, to the definition of a woman in America. With their writings, they were able to engage in discourse around their historical moment and posit ideas for the country to take into the new century. Their unique voices are what gives them the power to influence the American identity, and the impacts of that power can be seen historically and culturally into the twentieth century and beyond