Prajakt Pande
I work at the interface between cognitive science, science education, and educational technology. I am interested in understanding the cognitive mechanisms underlying representational competence (RC) in science (and mathematics). RC refers to the ease of generating and simultaneously working with multiple representations (such as equations, graphs, molecular diagrams, animations, simulations, phenomenological experiences, observations, etc.) while studying worldly phenomena. Generating multiple representations and working with them involves creating interconnections and performing mental transformations among those representations. I am also interested to know how this RC develops over time in the process of learning.
I have been using eye-tracking (static and glasses). In a Design-Based-Research (DBR) mode, I have also been involved in the design and development and testing of fully manipulable new-media interfaces (such as gesture-based Kinect sensors, leap motion) as pedagogical interventions to enhance science learning. The interface designs are based on findings and suggestions from the embodied & distributed cognition approaches to learning.
Thesis title: Rethinking Representational Competence: cognitive mechanisms, empirical studies, and the design of a new media intervention
Interests
Distributed, situated, and embodied cognition perspectives
Common coding theory and simulation,
External representations (ERs), dynamics and imagination
Neural networks as a powerful perspective towards the mind
Science Education
Eye-tracking
Learning Sciences
Courses Taught
Cognitive Science and Cognitive Engineering 2017-2018
SR Engineering College (Autonomous), Warangal (UG)
Teaching and assessment (Full-time faculty)
Cognitive Science and Cognitive Engineering Summer 2017
SR Engineering College (Autonomous), Warangal (UG)
Teaching and assessment (Full-time faculty)
Introduction to Psychology Summer 2017
SR Engineering College (Autonomous), Warangal (UG)
Teaching and assessment (Full-time faculty)
Introduction to Cognitive Science Fall 2015
Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education
& Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai (Graduate school)
Teaching assistance and assessment (TA)
Cognitive Development, Cognition & Learning Summer 2015
Tata Institute of Social Sciences (Masters' program)
Teaching and assessment (Visiting Faculty)
Advanced Topics in Cognition Winter 2014
Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (Graduate school)
Teaching assistance and assessment (TA)
Consultancy and Collaboration (Academic/Research)
1. Visiting Scientist - Summer 2015 (University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA)
Conceptual Fluency, Conceptual Change, Eye-tracking
2. Visiting Faculty - Summer 2015 (Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India) Child Development, Cognition & Learning
3. Consulting Member - 2012-present (The Learning Sciences Research Group, HBCSE, TIFR) Intervention Design and Testing, Eye-tracking
Publications (Refereed papers)
2. Pande, P., & Sevian, H. (2016). Switching Between Probabilistic and Deterministic Mental Models of Molecular Dynamics: A Case of Conceptual Fluency, In Looi, C, Polman, J., Cress, U., & Reimann, P., (Eds.), Proceedings of 12th International Conference of the Learning Sciences (2), 898-901, NIE: Singapore.
3. Chandrasekharan, S., Date, G., Pande, P., Rahman, J., Shaikh, R., Srivastava, A., Srivastava, N., & Agarwal, H., (2015). Eye to I: Males Recognize Own Eye Movements, Females Inhibit Recognition, In Noelle, D. C., Dale, R., Warlaumont, A. S., Yoshimi, J., Matlock, T., Jennings, C. D., & Maglio, P. P. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 37th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, 327-332, Austin, TX: Cognitive Science Society.
4. Pande, P., Shah, P. & Chandrasekharan, S. (2015). How do experts and novices navigate chemistry representations – an eye tracking investigation, In S. Chandrasekharan, S. Murthy, G. Banarjee, & A. Muralidhar (Eds.), Proceedings of EPISTEME-6, 102-109, HBCSE-TIFR, Mumbai, India.
5. Pande, P., & Chandrasekharan, S. (2014). Categorization Of Multiple External Representations By Chemistry Undergrads: An Eye-Tracking Study, In Y.-J. Lee, N. T-L. Lim, K. S. Tan, H. E. Chu, P. Y. Lim, Y. H. Lim, & I. Tan (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Science Education Conference 2014, 1393-1415. NIE-Singapore.
6. Pande, P., & Chandrasekharan, S. (2014). Integration of multiple external representations in chemistry: a requirements gathering study, In C.-C. Liu, Y. T. Wu, T. Supnithi, T. Kojiri, H. Ogata, S. C. Kong & A. Kashihara (Eds.), Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Computers in Education, 732-737. Japan: Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education.
7. Kothiyal, A., Majumdar, R., Pande, P., Agarwal, H., Ranka, A., & Chandrasekharan, S. (2014). How Does Representational Competence Develop? Explorations Using a Fully Controllable Interface and Eye-tracking, In C.-C. Liu, Y. T. Wu, T. Supnithi, T. Kojiri, H. Ogata, S. C. Kong & A. Kashihara (Eds.), Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Computers in Education, 738-743. Japan: Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education.
8. Pande, P., & Chandrasekharan, S. (2014). Eye-tracking in STEM education research: limitations, experiences and possible extensions, In Kinshuk & Murthy, S. (Eds.), Proceedings of The 6th IEEE International Conference on Technology for Education, 116-119. Kerala: IEEE.
9. Majumdar, R., Kothiyal, A., Pande, P., Agarwal, H., Ranka, A., Murthy, S., & Chandrasekharan, S. (2014). The enactive equation: exploring how multiple external representations are integrated, using a fully controllable interface and eye-tracking, In Kinshuk & Murthy, S. (Eds.), Proceedings of The 6th IEEE International Conference on Technology for Education, 233-240. Kerala: IEEE.
10. Pande, P., & Ramadas, J. (2013). Students’ Measurement Experiences and Responses to Length Comparison, Seriation and Proportioning Tasks. In Nagarjuna G., Arvind Jamakhandi, and Ebie M. Sam (Eds.) Proceedings of epiSTEME-5, 145-151. HBCSE-TIFR, Mumbai.
Recent Awards
1. Klaus Jacobs Foundation Travel Support 2017
2. European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI) 2017 Scholarship
3. International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS) Travel Scholarship 2016
4. Asia Pacific Society for Computers in Education (APSCE) Merit Scholarship Award 2014
(winner-2014)
5. IEEE Grant, The 6th IEEE International Conference on Technology for Education (winner-2014)
6. National Student Contest on Technology for Education at The 6th IEEE International Conference
on Technology for Education (winner-2014)
7. Springer Best Paper Award, International Science Education Conference, NIE, Singapore
(finalist -2014)