Janet L. Kolodner facts for kids

Janet Lynne Kolodner is an American scientist who studies how people think and learn. She is known for her work in cognitive science and learning sciences. Currently, she is a professor at Boston College. She also holds a special title, Regents' Professor Emerita, at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Dr. Kolodner helped start and was the first editor of The Journal of the Learning Sciences. This is an important magazine where scientists share new ideas about learning. She also helped create the International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS). From 2010 to 2014, she worked for the National Science Foundation. There, she led a program about how technology can change education.

Becoming a Scientist: Janet Kolodner's Education

Janet Kolodner studied math and computer science. She earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Arts, from Brandeis University in 1976. After that, she continued her studies at Yale University. She received her Master of Science degree in computer science in 1977. Then, in 1980, she earned her PhD in computer science from Yale.

Janet Kolodner's Career and Research

Dr. Kolodner is a highly respected professor. She has worked at the Georgia Institute of Technology for many years. She also spent time as a visiting professor in Israel. From 2010 to 2014, she worked for the National Science Foundation. This is a government agency that supports science research. She helped manage a program focused on how technology can improve learning.

In 1992, Dr. Kolodner was recognized for her amazing work. She was chosen as a fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI). This award was for her new ideas on how computers can learn from past experiences. In 2017, she also became an Inaugural Fellow of the International Society of the Learning Sciences.

How Computers Learn: Case-Based Reasoning

Dr. Kolodner's research looks at how both computers and people learn and solve problems. She created a special way for computers to "think" called case-based reasoning. Imagine you have a new problem. With case-based reasoning, the computer looks at similar problems it has solved before. Then, it uses those past solutions to figure out the new one. This helps computers solve problems faster and avoid old mistakes.

Her lab created many computer programs that use this method. For example, MEDIATOR and PERSUADER helped solve common sense problems. JULIA was a program that helped with design. CELIA could act like a car mechanic, and MEDIC like a doctor. EXPEDITOR helped manage logistics. Dr. Kolodner wrote a famous book in 1993 called Case-Based Learning. Many researchers have used her ideas from this book.

Connecting Learning and Technology

Dr. Kolodner is very interested in how what we know about thinking can help education. She explores how technology can make learning better. Her work also covers artificial intelligence and how experts solve problems. She studies how people become experts and how they use their experiences. She also looks at how we can design tools to help people make decisions.

Publications and Projects

Dr. Kolodner has written many important books and articles. Here are some of her key works:

• Kolodner, J. L. et al. (2010 - 2020). Project-Based Inquiry Science. This is a series of science units for middle school.
• Kolodner, J. L. (1993). Case-Based Reasoning. This book explains her pioneering work on how computers learn from past examples.
• Kolodner, J.L. (Ed.), (1993). Case-Based Learning. This book explores how learning happens through examples.
• Kolodner, J.L. (1984). Retrieval and Organizational Strategies in Conceptual Memory: A Computer Model. This book looks at how computers store and find information.