Sidney D’Mello, Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame, conducts research to explore the complex interplay between cognitive and affective states (e.g., confusion, frustration, mind wandering) during learning. He leverages the insights gained in that work to develop technologies that coordinate what learners think and feel in addition to what they know and do. During this COIL Conversation Dr. D’Mello discusses the theoretical foundations of that work, summarizes key findings, and discusses his vision for the future of cyberlearning.

Dr. D’Mello and his team at the University of Notre Dame investigate how complex mental states arise and influence learning via an analysis of interactions among the learners themselves, the learning content, and the learning activity. They then use signal processing and machine learning techniques to build computational models of mental states from facial features, body movements, peripheral physiology, eye gaze, and contextual cues in a variety of digital learning environments, both in the lab and in the wild. Finally, they close the loop by embedding their models in affect- and attention- aware technologies that increase engagement and learning by dynamically adapting to cognition and emotion.

Sidney D’Mello is an Associate Professor with joint appointments in the departments of Computer Science and Psychology at the University of Notre Dame. His primary research interests are in affective computing, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, speech and discourse processing, and computational models of human cognition. Dr. D’Mello conducts basic research on affective and cognitive states (e.g., confusion, boredom, mind wandering) during complex learning and problem solving, develops real-time computational models of these states, and integrates the models in learning environments that coordinate feeling and thinking during digital learning. He has co-edited five books and has published over 200 journal papers, book chapters, and conference proceedings in these areas.

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