@inproceedings{choi-etal-2026-cognitive,
title = "A Cognitive Lab Study of Student {AI} Chatbot Use in Online Coursework",
author = "Choi, Jinah and
Powers, Sonya and
Karimi-Malekabadi, Farzan and
Barrett, Michelle",
editor = "Wilson, Joshua and
Ormerod, Christopher and
Beiting-Parrish, Magdalen",
booktitle = "Proceedings of the Artificial Intelligence in Measurement and Education Conference ({AIME}-Con): Works in Progress",
month = oct,
year = "2026",
address = "Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States",
publisher = "National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME)",
url = "https://aclanthology.org/2026.aimecon-wip.1/",
pages = "1--8",
ISBN = "979-8-9983004-1-7",
abstract = "This cognitive lab study examined how secondary students in Grades 7-12 interacted with an AI-enabled chatbot while completing online course activities. Using chat logs, facilitator observations, post-session reflections, and survey responses, we analyzed spontaneous and lightly seeded interactions to evaluate whether the chatbot supported its intended theory of action: helping students continue learning without simply completing work for them. Findings highlight the importance of typing fluency, answer-boundary handling, safety and privacy response patterns, and student-facing feedback mechanisms. This study illustrates how cognitive lab evidence can inform ongoing validation."
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%0 Conference Proceedings
%T A Cognitive Lab Study of Student AI Chatbot Use in Online Coursework
%A Choi, Jinah
%A Powers, Sonya
%A Karimi-Malekabadi, Farzan
%A Barrett, Michelle
%Y Wilson, Joshua
%Y Ormerod, Christopher
%Y Beiting-Parrish, Magdalen
%S Proceedings of the Artificial Intelligence in Measurement and Education Conference (AIME-Con): Works in Progress
%D 2026
%8 October
%I National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME)
%C Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
%@ 979-8-9983004-1-7
%F choi-etal-2026-cognitive
%X This cognitive lab study examined how secondary students in Grades 7-12 interacted with an AI-enabled chatbot while completing online course activities. Using chat logs, facilitator observations, post-session reflections, and survey responses, we analyzed spontaneous and lightly seeded interactions to evaluate whether the chatbot supported its intended theory of action: helping students continue learning without simply completing work for them. Findings highlight the importance of typing fluency, answer-boundary handling, safety and privacy response patterns, and student-facing feedback mechanisms. This study illustrates how cognitive lab evidence can inform ongoing validation.
%U https://aclanthology.org/2026.aimecon-wip.1/
%P 1-8
Markdown (Informal)
[A Cognitive Lab Study of Student AI Chatbot Use in Online Coursework](https://aclanthology.org/2026.aimecon-wip.1/) (Choi et al., AIME-Con 2026)
ACL
- Jinah Choi, Sonya Powers, Farzan Karimi-Malekabadi, and Michelle Barrett. 2026. A Cognitive Lab Study of Student AI Chatbot Use in Online Coursework. In Proceedings of the Artificial Intelligence in Measurement and Education Conference (AIME-Con): Works in Progress, pages 1–8, Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME).