PATHWiSE: Teacher-Designed Robot-Assisted Learning
AI-generated illustration representing the project.PATHWiSE—the Personalized Augmenting Tool for Homework in Science Education—is a teacher-facing system for creating customized robot-assisted reading activities.
Teachers can create and edit comments, select suggested comments, and optionally generate comment suggestions using AI. They can also preview robot speech and choose accompanying emotional expressions.
The system translates these choices into robot interactions that provide knowledge and interest supports as students read at home. Building on STEMMates, PATHWiSE places teachers’ instructional judgment at the center of designing these learning experiences.
My Contributions
I contributed to the design of PATHWiSE as part of an interdisciplinary research team.
My research goal is to design, build, and evaluate technology-facilitated learning environments. My work brings together learning sciences, human–computer interaction, computing education, and social robotics.
I completed my Ph.D. in Learning Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago in May 2026, advised by Dr. Joseph E. Michaelis. I also hold a master’s degree in Computer and Information Science from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Lahore University of Management Sciences.
My dissertation, “Broadening Participation of Girls in Computing: An Integrated Approach to Supporting Interest in CS,” examined how technological and social scaffolds support girls’ interest in computing. Through the MyTurn project, I designed a web-based pre-coding tool and studied its use alongside peer collaboration and mentorship during social robotics activities.
My broader research includes in-home robot learning companions and teacher-facing tools for designing robot-assisted learning experiences. I use iterative design and mixed methods to understand learners’ experiences and inform technology design.
My future research vision builds on my previous work to investigate the design of AI-enabled technologies that can adapt to learners’ evolving needs and complement social scaffolds embedded within authentic learning contexts to support learning and interest.
AI-generated illustration representing my research.