Program Abstract: Productive struggle in mathematics, the process where students engage with challenging problems to build deeper understanding and skills, is essential for learning. But since immediate, targeted feedback is required to ensure the struggle is productive rather than frustrating, it is very difficult to provide opportunities for productive struggle in higher education settings where students mostly work on their own. At Maplesoft, we are exploring ways that AI can be combined with “traditional” math technology to provide undergraduate students with the meaningful guidance they need to enter and maintain a state of productive struggle. Tools like “Check My Work,” guided interactive tutors, content-specific hints, feedback on mistakes, and opportunities to tackle similar problems all play a role. In this session we’ll explore the successes and challenges of these efforts, and invite the audience to contribute their ideas and discuss the needs of their students.
