Education
Audio-Visual Class-Incremental Learning for Fish Feeding intensity Assessment in Aquaculture
Cui, Meng, Yue, Xianghu, Qian, Xinyuan, Zhao, Jinzheng, Liu, Haohe, Liu, Xubo, Li, Daoliang, Wang, Wenwu
Fish Feeding Intensity Assessment (FFIA) is crucial in industrial aquaculture management. Recent multi-modal approaches have shown promise in improving FFIA robustness and efficiency. However, these methods face significant challenges when adapting to new fish species or environments due to catastrophic forgetting and the lack of suitable datasets. To address these limitations, we first introduce AV-CIL-FFIA, a new dataset comprising 81,932 labelled audio-visual clips capturing feeding intensities across six different fish species in real aquaculture environments. Then, we pioneer audio-visual class incremental learning (CIL) for FFIA and demonstrate through benchmarking on AV-CIL-FFIA that it significantly outperforms single-modality methods. Existing CIL methods rely heavily on historical data. Exemplar-based approaches store raw samples, creating storage challenges, while exemplar-free methods avoid data storage but struggle to distinguish subtle feeding intensity variations across different fish species. To overcome these limitations, we introduce HAIL-FFIA, a novel audio-visual class-incremental learning framework that bridges this gap with a prototype-based approach that achieves exemplar-free efficiency while preserving essential knowledge through compact feature representations. Specifically, HAIL-FFIA employs hierarchical representation learning with a dual-path knowledge preservation mechanism that separates general intensity knowledge from fish-specific characteristics. Additionally, it features a dynamic modality balancing system that adaptively adjusts the importance of audio versus visual information based on feeding behaviour stages. Experimental results show that HAIL-FFIA is superior to SOTA methods on AV-CIL-FFIA, achieving higher accuracy with lower storage needs while effectively mitigating catastrophic forgetting in incremental fish species learning.
Survey of Loss Augmented Knowledge Tracing
The training of artificial neural networks is heavily dependent on the careful selection of an appropriate loss function. While commonly used loss functions, such as cross-entropy and mean squared error (MSE), generally suffice for a broad range of tasks, challenges often emerge due to limitations in data quality or inefficiencies within the learning process. In such circumstances, the integration of supplementary terms into the loss function can serve to address these challenges, enhancing both model performance and robustness. Two prominent techniques, loss regularization and contrastive learning, have been identified as effective strategies for augmenting the capacity of loss functions in artificial neural networks. Knowledge tracing is a compelling area of research that leverages predictive artificial intelligence to facilitate the automation of personalized and efficient educational experiences for students. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of the deep learning-based knowledge tracing (DKT) algorithms trained using advanced loss functions and discuss their improvements over prior techniques. We discuss contrastive knowledge tracing algorithms, such as Bi-CLKT, CL4KT, SP-CLKT, CoSKT, and prediction-consistent DKT, providing performance benchmarks and insights into real-world deployment challenges. The survey concludes with future research directions, including hybrid loss strategies and context-aware modeling.
Rethinking the Potential of Multimodality in Collaborative Problem Solving Diagnosis with Large Language Models
Wong, K., Wu, B., Bulathwela, S., Cukurova, M.
Detecting collaborative and problem-solving behaviours from digital traces to interpret students' collaborative problem solving (CPS) competency is a long-term goal in the Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIEd) field. Although multimodal data and advanced models are argued to have the potential to detect complex CPS behaviours, empirical evidence on their value remains limited with some contrasting evidence. In this study, we investigated the potential of multimodal data to improve model performance in diagnosing 78 secondary school students' CPS subskills and indicators in authentic educational settings. In particular, text embeddings from verbal data and acoustic embed-dings from audio data were used in a multimodal classification model for CPS diagnosis. Both unimodal and multimodal transformer-based models outperformed traditional models in detecting CPS classes. Although the inclusion of multimodality did not improve the performance of traditional unimodal models, its integration into transformer-based models demonstrated improved performance for diagnosing social-cognitive CPS classes compared to unimodal transformer-based models. Based on the results, the paper argues that multimodality and the selection of a particular modelling technique should not be taken for granted to achieve the best performance in the automated detection of every CPS subskill and indicator. Rather, their value is limited to certain types of CPS indicators, affected by the complexity of the labels, and dependent on the composition of indicators in the dataset. We conclude the paper by discussing the required nuance when considering the value of LLMs and multimodality in automated CPS diagnosis, highlighting the need for human-AI complementarity, and proposing the exploration of relevant model architectures and techniques to improve CPS diagnosis in authentic educational contexts.
Empowering AI to Generate Better AI Code: Guided Generation of Deep Learning Projects with LLMs
Xie, Chen, Jiao, Mingsheng, Gu, Xiaodong, Shen, Beijun
While large language models (LLMs) have been widely applied to code generation, they struggle with generating entire deep learning projects, which are characterized by complex structures, longer functions, and stronger reliance on domain knowledge than general-purpose code. An open-domain LLM often lacks coherent contextual guidance and domain expertise for specific projects, making it challenging to produce complete code that fully meets user requirements. In this paper, we propose a novel planning-guided code generation method, DLCodeGen, tailored for generating deep learning projects. DLCodeGen predicts a structured solution plan, offering global guidance for LLMs to generate the project. The generated plan is then leveraged to retrieve semantically analogous code samples and subsequently abstract a code template. To effectively integrate these multiple retrieval-augmented techniques, a comparative learning mechanism is designed to generate the final code. We validate the effectiveness of our approach on a dataset we build for deep learning code generation. Experimental results demonstrate that DLCodeGen outperforms other baselines, achieving improvements of 9.7% in CodeBLEU and 3.6% in human evaluation metrics.
DistilQwen2.5: Industrial Practices of Training Distilled Open Lightweight Language Models
Wang, Chengyu, Yan, Junbing, Yue, Yuanhao, Huang, Jun
Enhancing computational efficiency and reducing deployment costs for large language models (LLMs) have become critical challenges in various resource-constrained scenarios. In this work, we present DistilQwen2.5, a family of distilled, lightweight LLMs derived from the public Qwen2.5 models. These distilled models exhibit enhanced instruction-following capabilities compared to the original models based on a series of distillation techniques that incorporate knowledge from much larger LLMs. In our industrial practice, we first leverage powerful proprietary LLMs with varying capacities as multi-agent teachers to select, rewrite, and refine instruction-response pairs that are more suitable for student LLMs to learn. After standard fine-tuning, we further leverage a computationally efficient model fusion approach that enables student models to progressively integrate fine-grained hidden knowledge from their teachers. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that the distilled models possess significantly stronger capabilities than their original checkpoints. Additionally, we present use cases to illustrate the applications of our framework in real-world scenarios. To facilitate practical use, we have released all the DistilQwen2.5 models to the open-source community.
Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish: On the Extended Reading Articles Generation with LLMs
Liou, Yow-Fu, Tang, Yu-Chien, Yen, An-Zi
The process of creating educational materials is both time-consuming and demanding for educators. This research explores the potential of Large Language Models (LLMs) to streamline this task by automating the generation of extended reading materials and relevant course suggestions. Using the TED-Ed Dig Deeper sections as an initial exploration, we investigate how supplementary articles can be enriched with contextual knowledge and connected to additional learning resources. Our method begins by generating extended articles from video transcripts, leveraging LLMs to include historical insights, cultural examples, and illustrative anecdotes. A recommendation system employing semantic similarity ranking identifies related courses, followed by an LLM-based refinement process to enhance relevance. The final articles are tailored to seamlessly integrate these recommendations, ensuring they remain cohesive and informative. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that our model produces high-quality content and accurate course suggestions, assessed through metrics such as Hit Rate, semantic similarity, and coherence. Our experimental analysis highlight the nuanced differences between the generated and existing materials, underscoring the model's capacity to offer more engaging and accessible learning experiences. This study showcases how LLMs can bridge the gap between core content and supplementary learning, providing students with additional recommended resources while also assisting teachers in designing educational materials.
Evaluating Code Generation of LLMs in Advanced Computer Science Problems
Catir, Emir, Claesson, Robin, Tsoupidi, Rodothea Myrsini
Large Language Models (LLMs), such as GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT have become popular among programming students. Students use LLMs to assist them in programming courses, including generating source code. Previous work has evaluated the ability of LLMs in solving introductory-course programming assignments. The results have shown that LLMs are highly effective in generating code for introductory Computer Science (CS) courses. However, there is a gap in research on evaluating LLMs' ability to generate code that solves advanced programming assignments. In this work, we evaluate the ability of four LLM tools to solve programming assignments from advanced CS courses in three popular programming languages, Java, Python, and C. We manually select 12 problems, three problems from introductory courses as the baseline and nine programming assignments from second- and third-year CS courses. To evaluate the LLM-generated code, we generate a test suite of 1000 test cases per problem and analyze the program output. Our evaluation shows that although LLMs are highly effective in generating source code for introductory programming courses, solving advanced programming assignments is more challenging. Nonetheless, in many cases, LLMs identify the base problem and provide partial solutions that may be useful to CS students. Furthermore, our results may provide useful guidance for teachers of advanced programming courses on how to design programming assignments.
Integrating Response Time and Attention Duration in Bayesian Preference Learning for Multiple Criteria Decision Aiding
Jiang, Jiaxuan, Liu, Jiapeng, Kadziลski, Miลosz, Liao, Xiuwu, Dong, Jingyu
We introduce a multiple criteria Bayesian preference learning framework incorporating behavioral cues for decision aiding. The framework integrates pairwise comparisons, response time, and attention duration to deepen insights into decision-making processes. The approach employs an additive value function model and utilizes a Bayesian framework to derive the posterior distribution of potential ranking models by defining the likelihood of observed preference data and specifying a prior on the preference structure. This distribution highlights each model's ability to reconstruct Decision-Makers' holistic pairwise comparisons. By leveraging both response time as a proxy for cognitive effort and alternative discriminability as well as attention duration as an indicator of criterion importance, the proposed model surpasses traditional methods by uncovering richer behavioral patterns. We report the results of a laboratory experiment on mobile phone contract selection involving 30 real subjects using a dedicated application with time-, eye-, and mouse-tracking components. We validate the novel method's ability to reconstruct complete preferences. The detailed ablation studies reveal time- and attention-related behavioral patterns, confirming that integrating comprehensive data leads to developing models that better align with the DM's actual preferences.
Retrieval Augmented Generation Evaluation in the Era of Large Language Models: A Comprehensive Survey
Gan, Aoran, Yu, Hao, Zhang, Kai, Liu, Qi, Yan, Wenyu, Huang, Zhenya, Tong, Shiwei, Hu, Guoping
Recent advancements in Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) have revolutionized natural language processing by integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) with external information retrieval, enabling accurate, up-to-date, and verifiable text generation across diverse applications. However, evaluating RAG systems presents unique challenges due to their hybrid architecture that combines retrieval and generation components, as well as their dependence on dynamic knowledge sources in the LLM era. In response, this paper provides a comprehensive survey of RAG evaluation methods and frameworks, systematically reviewing traditional and emerging evaluation approaches, for system performance, factual accuracy, safety, and computational efficiency in the LLM era. We also compile and categorize the RAG-specific datasets and evaluation frameworks, conducting a meta-analysis of evaluation practices in high-impact RAG research. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the most comprehensive survey for RAG evaluation, bridging traditional and LLM-driven methods, and serves as a critical resource for advancing RAG development.
ReSpec: Relevance and Specificity Grounded Online Filtering for Learning on Video-Text Data Streams
Kim, Chris Dongjoo, Moon, Jihwan, Moon, Sangwoo, Yun, Heeseung, Lee, Sihaeng, Kembhavi, Aniruddha, Lee, Soonyoung, Kim, Gunhee, Lee, Sangho, Clark, Christopher
The rapid growth of video-text data presents challenges in storage and computation during training. Online learning, which processes streaming data in real-time, offers a promising solution to these issues while also allowing swift adaptations in scenarios demanding real-time responsiveness. One strategy to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of learning involves identifying and prioritizing data that enhances performance on target downstream tasks. We propose Relevance and Specificity-based online filtering framework (ReSpec) that selects data based on four criteria: (i) modality alignment for clean data, (ii) task relevance for target focused data, (iii) specificity for informative and detailed data, and (iv) efficiency for low-latency processing. Relevance is determined by the probabilistic alignment of incoming data with downstream tasks, while specificity employs the distance to a root embedding representing the least specific data as an efficient proxy for informativeness. By establishing reference points from target task data, ReSpec filters incoming data in real-time, eliminating the need for extensive storage and compute. Evaluating on large-scale datasets WebVid2M and VideoCC3M, ReSpec attains state-of-the-art performance on five zeroshot video retrieval tasks, using as little as 5% of the data while incurring minimal compute. The source code is available at https://github.com/cdjkim/ReSpec.