Archimedes: Developing a Model of Cognition and Intelligent Learning System to Support Metacognition in Novice Programmers

This is a Work-in-Progress Innovative Practice paper. This paper introduces a multidimensional model of cognition and an application programming interface (API) for an intelligent learning system, which we will refer to as Archimedes, that implements the first two components of the model of cognition into a web application. The model of cognition currently includes five components thinking processes, organizational strategy, design cohesion, skill mastery, and path of program development. Together these components seek to support six strategies of metacognition, metacognitive scaffolding, reflective prompts, self-assessment, self-questioning, self-directed learning, and graphic organizers. This paper focuses on the implementation and integration of the first two components of the model, thinking processes and organizational strategies into a web application. Together these components integrate Writing-To-Learn and literate programming paradigms to allow the Archimedes application to assess introductory programming students' current level of metacognition and provide automated feedback and allow them to self-monitor, self-assess and improve self-efficacy through the development of strategic knowledge for solving real-world programming problems.