Artificial Intelligence-Based System for Detecting Attention Levels in Students

Summary

This paper proposes an artificial intelligence-based system to automatically detect whether students are paying attention to the class or are distracted. This system is designed to help teachers maintain students' attention, optimize their lessons, and dynamically introduce modifications in order for them to be more engaging.

Abstract

The attention level of students in a classroom can be improved through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques. By automatically identifying the attention level, teachers can employ strategies to regain students' focus. This can be achieved through various sources of information.

One source is to analyze the emotions reflected on students' faces. AI can detect emotions, such as neutral, disgust, surprise, sadness, fear, happiness, and anger. Additionally, the direction of the students' gaze can also potentially indicate their level of attention. Another source is to observe the students' body posture. By using cameras and deep learning techniques, posture can be analyzed to determine the level of attention. For example, students who are slouching or resting their heads on their desks may have a lower level of attention. Smartwatches distributed to the students can provide biometric and other data, including heart rate and inertial measurements, which can also be used as indicators of attention. By combining these sources of information, an AI system can be trained to identify the level of attention in the classroom. However, integrating the different types of data poses a challenge that requires creating a labeled dataset. Expert input and existing studies are consulted for accurate labeling. In this paper, we propose the integration of such measurements and the creation of a dataset and a potential attention classifier. To provide feedback to the teacher, we explore various methods, such as smartwatches or direct computers. Once the teacher becomes aware of attention issues, they can adjust their teaching approach to re-engage and motivate the students. In summary, AI techniques can automatically identify the students' attention level by analyzing their emotions, gaze direction, body posture, and biometric data. This information can assist teachers in optimizing the teaching-learning process.

Introduction

In modern educational settings, accurately assessing and maintaining students' attention is crucial for effective teaching and learning. However, traditional methods of gauging engagement, such as self-reporting or subjective teacher observations, are time-consuming and prone to biases. To address this challenge, Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques have emerged as promising solutions for automated attention detection. One significant aspect of understanding students' engagement levels is emotion recognition¹. AI systems can analyze facial expressions to identify emotions, such as neutral, disgust, surprise, sadness, fear, happiness,....

Protocol

The following protocol follows the guidelines of the University of Alicante's human research ethics committee with the approved protocol number UA-2022-11-12. Informed consent has been obtained from all participants for this experiment and for using the data here.

1. Hardware, software, and class setup

1. Set a router with WiFi capabilities (the experiments were carried out using a DLink DSR 1000AC) in the desired location so that its range covers the entire room........

Discussion

This work presents a system that measures the attention level of a student in a classroom using cameras, smartwatches, and artificial intelligence algorithms. This information is subsequently presented to the teacher for them to have an idea of the general state of the class.

One of the main critical steps of the protocol is the synchronization of the smartwatch information with the color camera image, as these have different frequencies. This was solved by deploying raspberries as servers tha.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
4 GPUs  Nvidia A40 Ampere	NVIDIA	TCSA40M-PB	GPU for centralized model processing server
FusionServer 2288H V5	X-Fusion	02311XBK	Platform that includes power supply and motherboard for centralized model processing server
Memory Card Evo Plus 128 GB	Samsung	MB-MC128KA/EU	Memory card for the operation of the raspberry pi 4b 2gb.  One for each raspberry.
NEMIX RAM - 512 GB Kit DDR4-3200 PC4-25600 8Rx4 EC	NEMIX	M393AAG40M32-CAE	RAM for centralized model processing server
Processor Intel Xeon Gold 6330	Intel	CD8068904572101	Processor for centralized model processing server
Raspberry PI 4B 2GB	Raspberry	1822095	Local server that receives requests from the clocks and sends them to the general server. One every two students.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 (40mm)	Samsung	SM-R900NZAAPHE	Clock that monitors each student's activity. For each student.
Samsung MZQL23T8HCLS-00B7C PM9A3 3.84Tb Nvme U.2 PCI-Express-4 x4 2.5inch Ssd	Samsung	MZQL23T8HCLS-00B7C	Internal storage for centralized model processing server
WebCam HD Pro C920 Webcam FullHD	Logitech	960-001055	Webcam HD. One for each student plus two for student poses.