Neil Heffernan

Neil Heffernan is a Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Learning Sciences & Technology Program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). He holds the title of The William Smith Dean's Professor of Computer Science. His research focuses on educational data mining and the development of the ASSISTments platform, an online tool that provides instant feedback to students and live reports to teachers. Heffernan's work emphasizes optimizing student learning through technology, with over 200 publications and collaborations with educators globally.

Education:

• BA in Computer Science from Amherst College (1993)
• MS in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University (1998)
• PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University (2001)

Research Interests: Heffernan's work centers on improving STEM education through technology, including intelligent tutoring systems, adaptive learning algorithms, and large-scale educational experiments. His team's work with ASSISTments has been validated by SRI International and the What Works Clearinghouse, demonstrating its effectiveness in improving student achievement.

Grants & Recognition: He leads projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education, including an $8M grant to scale ASSISTments. His contributions have earned awards such as the James Chen Best Journal Paper (2009) and Best Student Paper (2020). He actively promotes open science, sharing datasets and collaborating with external researchers.

Labs & Teams: Directs the ASSISTments Lab, which develops and tests educational technologies. The lab's work includes the E-TRIALS platform for conducting education experiments and fostering collaboration between researchers and educators.