Ashish Gurung, Ph.D.
In a Nutshell: I like to think of myself as a builder. I am interested in using technology to build scalable educational resources that enhance learning opportunities.
Currently, I am a Postdoctoral researcher at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at CMU. I am currently working with Prof. Vincent Aleven and Prof. Ken Koedinger on the PLUS project. I earned my Ph.D. in Computer Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute under the guidance of Prof. Neil T. Heffernan.
Researcher Interest
As a researcher, I am interested in exploring various aspects of Learning Sciences and Technologies. Some examples of my current research focus:
Human-AI tutoring: Currently, my primary focus is on examining strategies to improve student learning by supplementing AI tutor use with additional human tutor support. As this is a relatively new domain, responsibilities range from program evaluation, learning analytics, and data wrangling.
Learner Behavior: My work explores various aspects of learner behavior. I am primarily interested in time and how it can be used to contextualize learner behaviors.
Classroom Orchestration: I am interested in developing teaching augmentation tools that align closely with classroom norms and provide easily actionable insights.
Moderated Crowdsourcing: I am interested in developing tools designed to facilitate moderated crowdsourcing. By leveraging the expertise of experienced instructors, these tools aim to support both fellow educators and learners, enriching the teaching and learning experiences for all involved.
My Journey
As a builder, I am interested in engineering systems that facilitate access to learning within and beyond traditional classrooms. My interests have led to a wide range of opportunities over the years.
Personalized Learning Squared (PLUS, 2023-present)
Currently, as part of the PLUS team at Carnegie Mellon University, I am focused on data-driven feature engineering and the development of classroom orchestration tools. These tools aim to augment the capabilities of teachers and tutors.
ASSISTments (2018-2023)
At ASSISTments, I developed an internal crowdsourcing platform designed to gather common wrong answer feedback (CWAFs) and teacher instructional recommendations (IRs). These CWAFs have since been deployed within the system and shown to improve student performance, as measured by increased next-problem correctness on subsequent items targeting the same skill.
OLE Nepal (2016-2018)
Previously, I led the engineering team at OLE Nepal, a nonprofit organization aiming to facilitate educational opportunities for children in rural Nepal. I led the development of E-Paath, a project offering curriculum-aligned learning materials designed to support teachers and enhance the student learning experience. This project was deployed using XO laptops produced by the One Laptop Per Child initiative.
