Clayton Cohn

PhD Student, Research Assistant at Vanderbilt University

About Me

Greetings! My name is Clayton Cohn. I am a Computer Science PhD student and Research Assistant at Vanderbilt University with a focus on Natural Language Processing (NLP) in learning environments.

I like to stay active, so I play hockey and golf and also lift weights. I'm a committed Francophile and belong to two French meet-ups that help me improve my language skills and gain additional exposure to French culture. I also enjoy volunteering and participate in two charitable organizations through Vanderbilt. I like taking advantage of Nashville's live music scene, and I enjoy playing guitar.

More than anything, I like to challenge myself. I like to solve problems and learn new things. I like to engage in constructive discourse and hear opposing points of view. I like to broaden my horizons and expose myself to activities outside of my comfort zone.

Contact

Email

clayton.a.cohn@vanderbilt.edu

Phone

+1 847 962 6387

Address

Nashville, TN, USA

Publications

A Chain-of-Thought Prompting Approach with LLMs for Evaluating Students' Formative Assessment Responses in Science (Cohn et al., EAAI)

Mar. 2024

Analyzing Students' Collaborative Problem-Solving Behaviors in Synergistic STEM+C Learning (Snyder et al., LAK)

Mar. 2024

Using BERT to Identify Causal Structure in Students' Scientific Explanations (Cochran et al., IJAIED)

Dec. 2023

Prediction of Students' Self-confidence Using Multimodal Features in an Experiential Nurse Training Environment (Vatral et al., AIED)

Jul. 2023

Improving Automated Evaluation of Student Text Responses Using GPT-3.5 for Text Data Augmentation (Cochran et al., AIED) — Nominated for Best Student Paper

Jul. 2023

A Tale of Two Nurses: Studying Groupwork in Nurse Training by Analyzing Taskwork Roles, Social Interactions, and Self-Efficacy (Vatral et al., CSCL)

Jun. 2023

Improving NLP Model Performance on Small Educational Data Sets Using Self-Augmentation (Cochran et al., CSEDU)

Apr. 2023

Identifying Gaze Behavior Evolution via Temporal Fully-Weighted Scanpath Graphs (Davalos et al., LAK)

Mar. 2023

Using the DiCoT framework for Integrated Multimodal Analysis in Mixed-Reality Training Environments (Vatral et al., Frontiers in AI)

Jul. 2022

Improving Automated Evaluation of Formative Assessments with Text Data Augmentation (Cochran et al., AIED)

Jul. 2022

BERT Efficacy On Scientific and Medical Datasets: A Systematic Literature Review (Cohn, Master's Thesis)

Nov. 2020

Education

Doctor of Philosophy, Computer Science (expected 2027) from Vanderbilt University

Aug. 2021 - Present

Focus on applying NLP to learning and training environments via automated assessment scoring and feedback, discourse analysis, and conversational agents.

Master of Science, Computer Science from DePaul University

Jan. 2017 - Nov. 2020

Concentration in Artificial Intelligence
Graduated with Distinction

Bachelor of Science, Computer Science from DePaul University

Sep. 2013 - Nov. 2016

Concentration in Software Development
Cum Laude

Work Experience

Research Assistant at Vanderbilt University

Jul. 2021 - Present

Researching and developing applied NLP and conversational AI methods for use in learning and training environments, including: generative data augmentation; prompt engineering; discourse analysis; formative assessment scoring and feedback; and peer agent design, development, and training.

iOS Developer at The UpNext, Inc.

Jan. 2016 - Apr. 2017

Designed, built, and launched iOS music discovery app.

Fellowships

University Graduate Fellow at Vanderbilt University

Aug. 2021 - Present

"The University Graduate Fellowship is awarded by the Graduate School to highly qualified students entering study for the PhD or the master's degree."

Russell G. Hamilton Scholar at at Vanderbilt University

Aug. 2021 - Present

"Russell G. Hamilton scholarships are awarded to highly qualified students intending to pursue the PhD degree."

Volunteering

Dismas House in Nashville, Tennessee

Organizes meals for and provides guidance to halfway house residents transitioning out of prison

Challah for Hunger at Vanderbilt University

Participates in semi-monthly challah-bakes to aid in fundraising for hunger-fighting organizations