NEWS
MIT Technology Review
An intelligent digital agent could be a companion for life—and other predictions for the next 125 years
By Kara Platoni
David Biskup
Some school libraries are becoming more like makerspaces, teaching critical thinking along with building skills, says Nesra Yannier, a faculty member in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. She is developing NoRILLA, an educational system that uses mixed reality—a combination of physical and virtual reality—to teach science and engineering concepts.
Pittsburgh startup news
10 Questions with NoRILLA Inventor Nesra Yannier
How did you come to do this work and why is it so important to you personally?
I grew up in Turkey where the education system was based mainly on memorization. I was a curious child asking a lot of questions and didn’t always get the answers I was looking for. I always believed that the approach to learning should be different, fostering curiosity and helping children understand the reasons why rather than memorizing facts. To satisfy my own curiosity, I decided to study physics and computer engineering for my undergraduate degrees in Turkey.
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY NEWS
HCII Researchers Receive NSF Grant To Expand AI-Powered Intelligent Science Stations in Schools
A team of researchers from the Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) in Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science received a grant from the National Science Foundation to design interactive science experiences for students. The goal is to create engaging, inquiry-based science learning opportunities for young children in the classroom that sustain early interest.
TRIBLIVE
New Kensington-Arnold introducing NoRILLA mixed-reality system to elementary schools
A mixed-reality system is promising to shake up STEM education for New Kensington-Arnold elementary students.
Through a partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, the district has obtained four NoRILLA tables. Two will be kept at H.D. Berkey Elementary, while Martin and Roy A. Hunt will have one each.
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY NEWS
AI-Powered Museum Exhibit shows technology’s Potential in education
A project from Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assist children in hands-on educational experiments is one of six AI-focused projects selected for an exhibit at CaixaForum Valencia, a new museum in Valencia, Spain.
NoRILLA, a mixed-reality learning platform that combines physical and virtual worlds to improve children's inquiry-based science, technology, engineering and math learning, is featured as part of the #LaNube{IA} experience, which looks at the educational potential of AI and identifies its use for students, teachers, families, institutions, researchers and businesses.
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY NEWS
Adding AI to Museum Exhibits Increases Learning, Keeps Kids Engaged Longer
Hands-on exhibits are staples of science and children's museums around the world. The exhibits invite children to explore scientific concepts in fun and playful ways.
But do kids actually learn from them? Ideally, museum staff, parents or caregivers are on hand to help guide the children through the exhibits and facilitate learning, but that is not always possible.
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) have demonstrated a more effective way to support learning and increase engagement. They used artificial intelligence (AI) to create a new genre of interactive, hands-on exhibits that includes a virtual assistant to interact with visitors.
BESTSTARTUP.US
NORILLA CHOSEN among the best AR/VR startups in pennsylvania
This article showcases our top picks for the best Pennsylvania based Virtual Reality companies. These startups and companies are taking a variety of approaches to innovating the Virtual Reality industry, but are all exceptional companies well worth a follow.
SCI Tech Daily
“Hands-On” Meets “Minds-On” – New Research Shows Learning Is More Effective When Active
Engaging students through interactive activities, discussions, feedback, and AI-enhanced technologies resulted in improved academic performance compared to traditional lectures, lessons, or readings, faculty from Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute concluded after collecting research into active learning.
The research also found that effective active learning methods use not only hands-on and minds-on approaches, but also hearts-on, providing increased emotional and social support.
U.S. News & World Report
Active Learning Best for Students: Study
Whether you're a kid or a college student, you'll learn more with interactive activities, discussions, movement and even AI-enhanced technologies than you will just sitting still and listening, a new study suggests. Learning methods that work best are hands-on, as well as what the researchers called "minds-on" and "hearts-on," using emotional and social support, the findings showed.
Faculty from Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute collected research into active learning, an idea that caught fire during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, as students of all ages were learning from home.
"We wanted to see what we learned from teaching and learning during COVID and what could be brought back into the classroom," said faculty member Nesra Yannier, co-author of the new study.
Forbes
Put Children In The Driving Seat Of Their Own Learning For Better Results
Children learn better when they are more active in lessons and have more control over their learning, says a new study.
Hands-on activities, discussions, group work, feedback and using AI-enhanced technology are not only more enjoyable but are more effective than sitting in a classroom listening to a teacher, according to research published today in the journal Science.
Science Journal
Active learning: “Hands-on” meets “minds-on”
We have been developing mixed-reality Intelligent Science Stations (see norilla.org) to engage children in active, inquiry-based experimentation and learning experiences in the physical world while providing interactive guidance that supports teachers as well as students. Children perform and interpret real-world experiments in a given physical apparatus (e.g., an earthquake table, ramps, a balance scale). Artificial intelligence (AI) computer vision algorithms reconstruct the physical scene and provide input to pedagogical algorithms that track the children’s progress and provide adaptive, automated feedback to guide them in scientific inquiry, producing a powerful form of active-learning support. An engaging virtual helper can “see” what children are doing and provide assistance accordingly, as they work collaboratively.
PHYS ORG
New research shows that learning is more effective when active
Engaging students through interactive activities, discussions, feedback and AI-enhanced technology resulted in improved academic performance compared to traditional lectures, lessons or readings, faculty from Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute concluded after collecting research into active learning.
The research also found that effective active learning methods use not only hands-on and minds-on approaches, but also hearts-on, providing increased emotional and social support.
Science PodCAST
Whole-genome screening for newborns, and the importance of active learning for STEM
Nesra Yannier, special faculty at Carnegie Mellon University and inventor of NoRILLA, discusses an artificial intelligence–driven learning platform that helps children explore and learn about the real world.
Tech & Learning
Active Learning: 5 Tips For Implementing The Approach
NoRILLA uses a real-world virtual interface to teach students about STEM. Designed for younger students, it features AI technology to offer personalized immediate feedback. The platform was developed by Dr. Nesra Yannier, a systems scientist at Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, with professors Ken Koedinger and Scott Hudson.
Children’s museum of atlanta
Norilla: AI Gorilla brings Stem to life
There’s something new rumbling and tumbling at CMA! If you’ve visited the museum lately you’ve seen children building towers and other structures out of blocks. That’s pretty common – we’re big block fans! But the friendly animated gorilla sharing challenges and feedback certainly adds a twist. And things get really fun when the foundation below the blocks begins to shake!
California University of Pennsylvania
“NoRILLA” is shaking things up at The Village
NORILLA learning platforms are live at The Village at Liberty Street and at the Rutledge Institute on the California University of Pennsylvania’s campus. NoRILLA (Novel Research-based Intelligent Lifelong Learning Apparatus) is a mixed-reality system that combines the advantages of hands-on learning with artificial intelligence to provide personalized interactive feedback.
Human Computer Interaction Institute
Team receives $2.3M from NSF for intelligent science Stations
A team of Human-Computer Interaction Institute researchers composed of Systems Scientist Nesra Yannier (PI) and Professors Ken Koedinger (Co-PI) and Scott Hudson (Co-PI), has received a $2.3 million, four-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to further develop their intelligent science exhibits and mixed-reality system, NoRILLA. The project is funded through a grant from the NSF’s Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program.
Pittsburgh Business Times
NOrilla receives nsf Grant funding through carnegie mellon University
A team from Carnegie Mellon University made of up Nesra Yannier, Ken Koedinger and Scott Hudson received received a $2.3 million National Science Foundation grant to conduct research on their NoRILLA educational technology platform.
The money brings the project's total grant funding to about $3 million through the university, Nesra Yannier, founder of NoRILLA, said.
Yannier said the funding will go mostly toward the development of artificial intelligence-powered museum exhibits for children that use the NoRILLA platform. The CMU team will work with the Carnegie Science Center, the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia and the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose.
Remake Learning
Robots are awesome. But the future of education technology is all about people.
Photo by Ben Filio for Remake Learning.
When Nesra Yannier began developing NoRILLA five years ago, she had a theory: Education technology could revolutionize STEM learning. But it required solid research to find the most effective technologically advanced teaching methods. And it must somehow combine digital experiences with learning in the physical world.
She couldn’t have known, back when she was building NoRILLA’s AI-based mixed-reality education system, that COVID-19 would make digital learning a necessity. Even “ed tech” pioneers didn’t envision a school year with kids doing science experiments in their kitchens while logging in to digital classes.
And yet Yannier and many others now see a unique opportunity to improve on current technology and use it in new ways.
Carnegie Mellon University News
New Intelligent Science Stations Change Maker Spaces
Nesra Yannier, a systems scientist at CMU's Human-Computer Interaction Institute where she also received her Ph.D., and her colleagues Ken Koedinger and Scott Hudson, examined the effectiveness of learning spaces and developed a special "intelligent science station" to help improve children's ability to learn underlying scientific principles. Their research, published in the International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, showed that achieving active learning of science and engineering requires more than hands-on activity.
Meet NoRILLA (Novel Research-based Intelligent Lifelong Learning Apparatus), a mixed-reality system that includes a shaking table, a friendly cartoon gorilla and an intelligent tutoring system (that can be applied to many different content areas). This intelligent science station allows children to explore the physical world while getting personalized guidance from the virtual world.
TL Talk Radio - Leading Teaching and Learning
Season 6: Episode 23 – NoRILLA – Interview with Nesra Yannier
In this episode, we are speaking with Nesra Yannier about NoRILLA, Novel Research-based intelligent lifelong learning apparatus.
Here is what we discussed:
Let’s start the conversation with a personal story about how you became connected to mixed reality learning.
NoRILLA is a mixed-reality system that combines physical and virtual worlds to improve children’s STEAM learning in an enjoyable and collaborative way. Tell us more about this!
Talk to us about the research behind the development of NoRILLA?
We noticed NoRILLA is being used in different locations – museums and schools. How are the systems utilized in different settings?
Before we invite you to share what is next for you, let’s hear your responses to our lightning response questions:
Who is one expert our listener’s should connect with to learn more about mixed reality learning?
If you were recommending one book to our listeners, what would it be?
What online site/resource/person do you learn from regularly?
What’s next for you, Nesra? What are you working on that you’d like to share with our listeners?
Lakota high schools
heritage ecs pilolts mixed-reality game
Heritage Early Childhood School students are the first in Ohio to try out a new interactive learning tool called Norilla. The mixed-reality game bridges physical and virtual worlds, encouraging students to experiment with 3D objects as they learn basic Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills, along with simple physics principles like base, height, weight and width.
Big Deal Media
Mixed-Reality System to Improve STEAM Learning
NoRILLA (novel research-based intelligent lifelong learning apparatus) is a mixed-reality system that combines physical and virtual worlds to improve children’s STEAM learning in an enjoyable and collaborative way. Based on scientifically proven research at Carnegie Mellon University, NoRILLA’s specialized AI algorithm tracks what students are doing in the physical environment and provides personalized interactive feedback to children as they experiment and make discoveries in the real world.
Getting Smart
NoRILLA: Mixed Reality That Improves Learning
Research at Carnegie Mellon University with over 200 children in two elementary schools and museums has shown that the NoRILLA (Novel Research-based Intelligent Lifelong Learning Apparatus) system improves children’s learning by 5 times compared to equivalent screen-based tablet or computer-based learning, while also increasing their enjoyment.
Steemit
NoRILLA - An educational system bridging physical and virtual worlds
NoRILLA is a mixed-reality educational system that is designed to combine physical and virtual worlds to improve children's STEM learning in an interactive, fun and collaborative way. A research conducted at Carnegie Mellon University with over 200 children showed impressive results, where learning was improved 5 times compared to similar systems/tools.
See what readers on Steemit thought:
Triblive
Montour Elementary opens world's first Lego Brick Makerspace
Montour Elementary children react as they watch to see which tower would fall over first during an 'earthquake' at the NoRILLA (Novel Research-based Intelligent Lifelong Learning Apparatus) station inside the school's new Brick Makerspace during its grand opening Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018. The room, supported by Lego Education solutions, is the world's first and was designed as a space to allow students the 'opportunity to design, make and think creatively,' according to a release from the district.
Human Computer Interaction Institute
PhD and Postdoc Win Gold Awards at Reimagine Education Competition
Based on proven learning techniques for students in kindergarten through grade 5, Yannier’s project fosters curiosity by combining the benefits of physical play along with technology.
NoRILLA, started by Yannier and her PhD advisors Ken Koedinger and Scott Hudson, is a patent-pending mixed-reality learning system that uses camera sensing and a specialized computer vision algorithm to track students’ interactions with physical objects and give personalized interactive feedback according to their actions in the real world.
EarthShake, the first educational game for the NoRILLA system, was designed to teach early physics principles through hands-on learning.
Education Week
Montour Schools: Home of the Evolving Educators
The LEGO Makerspace is also home to NoRILLA (below), an online and hands on system that helps students evaluate building stability in a seismic zone. Students pick or build towers and subject them to shaking to see if one or both of them falls over and in doing so they learn some physics.
The elementary schools feature the 26 Club: students that run 26 miles, read 26 books, and complete 26 acts of kindness.
Every K-12 student has a Chromebook (including special touchscreen Chromebooks for students grades K-4). Google classroom is used to make and manage assignments in grades 3-12.
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The journal
The STEAM-Powered Elementary School: Montour Opens World's First Lego-Themed Brick Makerspace
According to Nesra Yannier, a researcher at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and founder of NoRILLA, the mixed reality and interactive guidance provided by the system's AI have been shown to improve learning by a factor of 5 when looking at pre-tests and post-tests.
The interactive guidance also helps teachers, especially those without science backgrounds. Teachers said the interactive system helps them with their teaching. "So our goal is not to replace the teacher but to aid them in the class. We create a lot of lesson plans for teachers to be able to use it in the classroom easily."
GeekWire
Inside AlphaLab: Pittsburgh’s tech accelerator aims to solve the city’s startup challenge
Yannier is the CEO and founder for NoRILLA, which brings together the physical and virtual worlds to help improve STEM learning with mixed reality technology.
Yannier, who received her Ph.D in human computer interaction at CMU and a masters degree from Stanford, said she could have started the company in New York City but decided to stay in Pittsburgh.
“The community is closely tied together, and very friendly and helpful,” she said. “And especially in our case with education tech, there is a great network and customers to talk to. Everyone is trying to help each other rather than compete against each other.”
Eschool news
3 ways districts can use AR and AI
NoRILLA (novel research-based intelligent lifelong learning apparatus) is a patent-pending and award-winning mixed-reality system that combines physical and virtual worlds to improve children’s STEAM learning in an enjoyable and collaborative way. It is based on scientifically proven research at Carnegie Mellon University. NoRILLA’s specialized AI algorithm tracks what students are doing in the physical environment and provides personalized interactive feedback to children as they experiment and make discoveries in the real world.
bUCHANAN LABS
TechVibe Radio Episode 3: Issues Faced by Foreign National Entrepreneurs
The episode features Matineh Eybpoosh from Watt-Learn and Nesra Yannier from NoRILLA. John Previs counsels both Watt-Learn and NoRILLA and leads the discussion on behalf of Buchanan Labs.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Startups target underserved communities at AlphaLab's 2017 Demo Day
The 2017 Demo Day class include: Adrich, which creates smart product labels; ArinTechnologies, which enables indoor location tracking; BlastPoint, a data startup; HVAC efficiency startup HiberSense; bike-safety app LaneSpotter; Lift Link, a fitness center data analytics platform; adaptable housing startup Module; mixed-reality STEM education company NoRilla; and an intelligent Wi-Fi platform called Qlicket.
huffington post
How to Give All Students Moonshot Thinking Skills
... The LEGO Makerspace will be the home of the Novel Research-Based Intelligent Lifelong Learning Apparatus (NoRILLA). NoRILLA is part of CMU Learn Lab, our on-campus research center in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, and is a mixed-reality educational system that bridges physical and virtual education to improve children’s science learning.
pittsburgh business times
12 fledgling companies present at AlphaLab's spring Demo Day
Nesra Yannier, the CEO of NoRILLA, a startup out of Carnegie Mellon University that incorporates a special AI algorithm in its STEM learning technology, allowing its program to track children's progress on real-world puzzles and offer interactive feedback, said her product has already been purchased by two school districts, and is in talks with three more, as well as a pilot with (Bright Horizons Family Solutions), a partnership that "opens up an $8 million opportunity" for NoRILLA, Yannier said.
WESA
New Hybrid Digital-Physical Games May Improve Student Learning
Nesra Yannier said, growing up in Turkey, school was kind of boring.
“The education system was based on memorization, so I always thought it should be different and should be helping kids understand the reasons rather than memorizing facts,” she said.
When Yannier was working on her Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University, she sought ways to make learning more engaging and struck upon the idea of pairing digital applications with real-word educational toys.
KQED News
What Kids Can Learn When Blocks Get A Tech Boost
So when she arrived as a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon, Yannier decided to invent a new kind of educational machine with which kids could learn together. Hers would use a real table with real blocks — and a computer at the heart of it that uses motion sensors to “see” what students are doing. A camera transmits a near-infrared light to the objects on the table, and when the light bounces back, like sonar, it sends information back to the transmitter, which forms a 3-D image of what is on the table. Thus, the computer can “see” what shape the block towers are taking and whether or not they’re still standing.
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Hechinger Report
Can children learn from a “mixed-reality” game?
Several years ago, after obtaining a master’s degree in learning design and technology at Stanford University, Yannier had misgivings about her career path. “Most technology is so isolating,” she said. “I didn’t want that.”
READ MORE
TRIBlive
CMU postdoc's play table for children balances virtual, physical worlds
Yannier's research experiment is part of a partnership between Forest Grove's school district and Carnegie Mellon to see if high-tech ideas can improve teaching and learning. Yannier calls her machine “mixed reality” — part digital and part analog at the same time. Her work is one of several research efforts to let children take advantage of the instant feedback that computerized instruction offers without losing the tactile joys and social interactions of the real world.
READ MORE
Human computer interaction institute
Student Spotlight: Ph.D. Candidate Nesra Yannier
The research behind NoRILLA is inspired by Yannier's desire to reengage children's natural curiosity and encourage them to keep an interest in science, something data suggests 1/3 of students lose interest in as early as the 4th grade.
Yannier's work on NoRILLA was further encouraged by research from the Hechinger Report that found a younger child's knowledge of the physical and social world was more important in predicting future science achievements than the typically emphasized math and reading scores.
Read More
Remake Learning
New EdTech Fund Forges Vital Ties Between Developers and Teachers
...Yannier is part of a Sprout Fund initiative called the Ed-Tech Refinery, which is supporting efforts by ambitious young visionaries to partner up with educators at schools, libraries, and museums in the Pittsburgh region.
Starting this month, Yannier will be working with first, second, and third graders and their teachers at Montour Elementary School to further test NoRILLA and make the product as useful as possible in the classroom.
Read More
Education Week
Effective Digital Learning Games Blend the Virtual and the Real, Study Finds
Younger students get the most out of digital learning games when the game combines elements of both the real and virtual world, according to new research from Carnegie Mellon University.
Researchers tested three different approaches to teaching simple physics principles through educational gaming to a group of 92 students ages six through eight. One format was entirely flat-screen based, while another version allowed for simple physical controls, in which students shook a tablet to simulate an earthquake, and a "mixed-reality" version incorporated physical observation and interactive feedback into the game.
"Students learned five times more using the mixed-reality game, and also enjoyed the game significantly more," said researcher Nesra Yannier. Tests were administered before and after gameplay to measure the effectiveness of each type of educational game.
Read More
Futurity
Why tablets can’t replace ‘real world’ in schools
The final analysis shows that the mixed-reality game improved learning by almost five times more than the screen-only alternatives, both in the mouse-controlled and physically controlled conditions.
Not only that, but students enjoyed the game more in the mixed-reality conditions. They also determined that simple physical controls like shaking the tablet or pushing the earthquake button did little to improve either learning or enjoyment of the game.
“Mixed-reality games that support physical observation in the real world have a great potential to enhance learning and enjoyment for young children,” the researchers say.
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The Journal
Research: Young Students Learn Better with Mix of Virtual and Real Worlds
"NoRILLA," as the testing platform is called, is a mixed-reality set-up that bridges physical and virtual worlds. The system includes software and hardware components, including a computer depth camera (Microsoft's Kinect for Windows) to provide personalized feedback while experimenting in the real world.
The researchers designed an experiment to see if 92 children aged six to eight learned better in a mixed reality or on a screen-only educational game. The test also explored what impact the addition of a physical component (like shaking the screen) had on the students' enjoyment of the activity.
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Silicon ANgle
Educational games are more effective when they’re hands-on, study finds
Using video games as an educational tool is not a new concept, and edutainment titles have been around since at least the days of Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Lately, educational games have been moving into the mobile space much like everything else, but a recent study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University shows that mixing games with real world interaction is substantially more effective than touchscreen games alone.
“As screen-based technologies such as tablets or computer games become increasingly more appealing for children, it is worth asking whether real-world interaction is really needed to enhance learning and enjoyment,” researcher Nesra Yannier said in a video abstract for the study.
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Microsoft Developer
Kinect sensor helps facilitate learning
We all know that children can learn from videos. But many educators have questioned the effectiveness of such learning when compared to the understanding that young children derive from working with tangible objects...In a series of experiments, the researchers compared the effectiveness of virtual lessons to those that used a mixed-reality of virtual plus real-world interactions.
...The results were startling: on tests comparing the childrens’ understanding of structural stability and balance before and after EarthShake, the youngsters who had experienced the Kinect-enabled version showed nearly five times greater improvement in comprehension. This led the researchers to conclude that mixed-reality instruction is more effective than teaching with only videos. They aim to extend their patent-pending method and technology to create a new educational system that bridges the advantages of the physical and virtual worlds via Kinect, with a goal of improving children’s science learning, understanding, and enjoyment.