Catherine Mata
Let’s Chat: Leveraging Chatbot Outreach for Improved Course Performance
Katharine Meyer, Lindsay C. Page, Catherine Mata, Eric N. Smith, B. Tyler Walsh, C. Lindsey Fifield, Michelle Tyson, Amy Eremionkhale, Michael Evans, Shelby Frost, Eye Eoun Jung.Tags: Instructional technologyThis study reports on the causal effects of using a non-generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot to provide course-specific, proactive outreach and support to students in large-enrollment undergraduate courses. Across both an American Government and Microeconomics course, students… more →
Examining the Relationship Between Randomization Strategies and Control Group Crossover in Higher Education Interventions
Topics: MethodsTags: Higher educationThis article examines the risk of crossover contamination in individual-level randomization, a common concern in experimental research, in the context of a large-enrollment college course. While individual-level randomization is more efficient for assessing program effectiveness, it also… more →
The Effects of a Statewide Ban on School Suspensions
This research analyzes the implementation of a school suspension ban in Maryland to investigate whether a top-down state-initiated ban on suspensions in early primary grades can influence school behavior regarding school discipline. Beginning in the fall of 2017, the State of Maryland banned the… more →
How Context Shapes the Relationship between School Autonomy and Test-Scores: An Explanatory Analysis using PISA 2015
Topics: Policy, Politics, and GovernanceSchool autonomy has been and continues to be one of the most important education reform strategies around the world despite ambiguity about its theoretical and empirical effects on students learning. We use international data from PISA to test three country-level factors that might account for… more →
A Bridge to Graduation: Post-Secondary Effects of an Alternative Pathway for Students Who Fail High School Exit Exams
Tags: High schools, AssessmentHigh school exit exams are meant to standardize the quality of public high schools and to ensure that students graduate with a set of basic skills and knowledge. Evidence suggests that a common perverse effect of exit exams is an increase in dropout for students who have difficulty passing tests… more →