INVITED SPEAKER SEMINAR - Theory-Grounded Predictive Systems and Interpretability

Date: Monday, August 18, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. 

Location: EV 1.162

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems deployed in the real world are often part of larger sociotechnical systems and involve multiple human stakeholders. However, these AI solutions may generate solutions that include misleading or incorrect information. Grounding AI refers to the process of adapting AI systems to the specific task in context. In this talk, I will present my research on developing theory-grounded and interpretable predictive systems. I will discuss three primary application domains: (1) integrating cognitive theory into student performance modeling, (2) characterizing problem-solving behavior in individuals with autism spectrum disorder, and (3) evaluating the limitations of large language models in code comprehension task, using two benchmark datasets—software engineering tasks (via the CodeQA dataset) and introductory computer science education (via the CS1QA dataset). Finally, I will conclude my talk by discussing my future research plans.

Biography

Dr. Effat Farhana is an Assistant Professor in the Computer Science and Software Engineering Department at Auburn University. Her research interests include artificial intelligence, especially applied to education and healthcare domains, empirical software engineering and natural language processing. To this end, her work has pioneered designing cognitive theory-informed AI systems for personalized learning, designing interpretable ML algorithms, and behavioral data mining within education and autism research. 

She has published in leading AI venues, including AAAI, ICLR-Tiny, GECCO, and top domain conferences such as EDM, L@S, and ACS. In 2021, she was named as a Rising Star in Data Science- Jan 2021 organized by the University of Chicago for her Ph.D. research. In addition, Effat is an active community builder. She has been the co-chair of AI in Education Track for EAAI/AAAI 2024, 2025 and a Research Fellow at the NSF AI Institute for Adult Learning and Online Education (ALOE).