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Fig. 14.4
Example screenshot of the iSTART Practice Module. Merlin provides feedback to the
student, who is self-explaining a text about thunderstorms
already in the system or ones added by their teacher). Throughout both of these
practice modules, an animated agent, Merlin, serves as a self-explanation coach and
guides the learner as they generate their own self-explanations (see Fig. 14.4).
The regular practice module is the students' first chance to start generating their
own self-explanations. This module utilizes two selected texts that allow iSTART
to provide highly accurate assessments and targeted feedback (McNamara et al.,
2007). Students are asked to read a sentence from the text and provide their own
self-explanation. Each explanation is analyzed (using a combination of LSA and
word-based approaches), and Merlin provides feedback to the learner. The feedback
includes both qualitative assessments and offers suggestions on how to improve
future explanations. For example, Merlin may say something like, “Okay, that's
good. Next time try to connect information from different parts of the text.” Merlin
may also take the practice a step further by having students identify which specific
strategies they used and where they were used. Throughout this practice module,
Merlin adapts his responses to the quality of each individual explanation. In general,
he provides a range of enthusiastic expressions for longer and more relevant expla-
nations, but provides more scaffolding and support when explanations are short or
irrelevant.
After completing the regular practice module, the students are automatically
transitioned into the extended practice module where they can interact with varied
