Surfacing Isolated Learners with Outcome-Independent Mediation of Feedback between Teachers and Students Using AI

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2605.29240v1
• Date: Thu, 28 May 2026 02:00:06 GMT
• Title: Surfacing Isolated Learners with Outcome-Independent Mediation of Feedback between Teachers and Students Using AI
• Abstract summary: We propose a transparent mechanism that ranks course topics requiring attention without using grades or post-hoc outcome labels.<n>The approach combines three signals: student learning difficulty prevalence, disagreement between learner self-reports and observed difficulties, and unresolved teacher concerns.
• Score: 1.6637373649145608
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: AI-augmented classrooms generate rich teacher and student feedback before graded outcomes become available, yet these signals can be difficult to translate into timely instructional decisions. We propose an interpretable decision layer: a transparent mechanism that ranks course topics requiring attention without using grades or post-hoc outcome labels. The approach combines three signals: student learning difficulty prevalence, disagreement between learner self-reports and observed difficulties, and unresolved teacher concerns. The output is a ranked set of topic priorities with per-topic decision records explaining each ranking. In one graduate CS course offering ($n=5$ instructor interviews; $n=279$ survey responses), prioritized topics aligned with instructor concerns (top-5 overlap 3/5; Spearman $ρ=0.80$) and student-reported topic difficulty ($ρ=0.46$, $p=.048$). Multi-signal integration also surfaced learners not identified through individual signal sources alone (AUC $=0.96$ vs. $0.91$ for gap prevalence alone). Reflective thinking, help-seeking, and self-efficacy provided additional evidence that student behavioral signals align with learning-related constructs. While preliminary, these findings suggest that transparent coordination mechanisms may help support human-AI co-agency when feedback is incomplete.

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