Jasmine Ngo '24

Jasmine Ngo, a Randolph, Massachusetts native, graduated from the Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) and the Commonwealth Honors College in May 2024 with a BS in computer science and mathematics. During her time at UMass, she took on multiple leadership roles, including serving as a CICS peer mentor and as a Commonwealth Honors College resident assistant. Jasmine also participated in the Undergraduate Research Volunteer (URV) program, which gives CICS undergraduate students hands-on opportunities to apply their research skills in real-world contexts.

As a URV participant, Jasmine collaborated on a three-person team under the mentorship of CICS doctoral student Andre Kenneth “Chase” Randall. During the six-week program, Jasmine and teammates explored AI in education – a focus she and Chase have continued to explore since completing the program. Their joint efforts culminated in a paper titled “Personalized Paths to Mastery: Real-Time Adaptive Feedback for Student Engagement in Discrete Mathematics,” which has been accepted for presentation at the AI4EDU workshop of the 2025 Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) Conference, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from February 25 to March 4, 2025. 

How did you become involved in URV? 

I went to CICS Careers to work on my impostor syndrome; they helped me bolster my confidence, explore my career choices, and introduced me to the URV Program. So, my URV journey started with CICS Careers, but Chase changed my whole college experience. He made me feel like I could believe in myself a lot more. Before, I’d have thoughts like, ‘I don’t think I can do this, I don’t think I can apply for this job, I don't think I'm qualified,’ but he inspired me. He believes in me and encourages me to believe in myself. He offered me advice and taught me about the proper procedures and steps of research, how to interact in a professional world, and how to approach professional development through building your brand and networking.

He showed me that professional growth isn’t just about skills and qualifications; it’s also about mindset, confidence, and persistence. His guidance gave me a sense of direction and belief in my potential. The confidence he gave me encouraged me to pursue opportunities I once thought were beyond my reach, and this shift in mindset has changed everything. I’m incredibly grateful for his support because it didn’t just help me professionally;, it helped me grow as a person. 

Tell us more about your experience with the URV program.

URV is an experience for CICS undergrads. I was paired with Chase as my mentor, working on research surrounding AI in education, which combined my passions for education and technological impact with my interest in mentorship opportunities.

Chase provided me with a front-row seat to the entire research process—what he does, why, and the different types of certifications and training necessary to conduct accurate research, like trainings related to the Institutional Review Board (IRB), which is a committee that reviews and monitors research involving human participants to ensure ethical standards are maintained.

From there, we had lightning talks, which was very helpful. Each person on the team focused on a different topic within AI in education, conducting research, gathering data from our survey, and then presenting their findings to the group. This process provided us with a deeper understanding of the technical aspects of AI in education. I specialized in AI in Education and Data Science, analyzing how data-driven approaches could enhance personalized learning and improve student outcomes. After presenting to our team, we uploaded our lightning talks online for the public to learn from our specific areas.

Collaborating on the same project allowed us to share diverse perspectives, making the experience fun! These lightning talks helped us bridge the gaps between our knowledge areas and also connected us more deeply to the work Chase is doing for his doctoral consortium.

I am very passionate about the URV Program because it really kick-started my career and my exploration of research.

Walk us through your research. 

This paper builds on the foundational concepts from my research with the URV program, my honors thesis, and Chase’s ongoing work at UMass. With classroom sizes growing, it’s becoming harder for students to get the personalized feedback they need to fully grasp complex topics—that’s where AI comes in. This research explores how generative AI can provide scalable, targeted feedback to students, making learning more effective.

We developed a Python-based Reusable Learning Object (RLO) to support undergraduates studying discrete mathematics, specifically regular language expressions. The goal was to create an interactive tool that gives students real-time feedback, helping them engage more deeply with the material. Our research also involved surveys, interviews with professors from top universities, and testing the prototype with current discrete mathematics students. From this data, we created a codebook. The codebook served as a guide for educators to understand the impact of RLOs and how to effectively integrate adaptive learning tools into their curricula. Early results show that students found the tool helpful for breaking down difficult concepts, and educators gained insights into how AI-driven tools can enhance learning.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) program supported this project, enabling structured customer discovery and refining AI-driven personalization for diverse student cohorts.

What makes the opportunity to present at this conference particularly significant for you?

It's a next-level step for me! It's a big international conference, so being accepted to a workshop there allows us to pursue other conferences and may open doors for other opportunities. I look forward to getting more involved in the industry and networking with experts in the field.

Overall, I see this as a chance to inspire other students and to show them that being accepted at a significant conference is a possibility. In college, I frequently experienced impostor syndrome and often lacked confidence in my ability to succeed. I know other students may feel the same way, so I’m hoping sharing my story helps others realize that if they don't give up, they can get to where I am now. 

I would like to thank my parents for their support, as well as Andrew Lan (Assistant Professor), Beverly Wolf (Research Professor), David Mix Barrington (Professor), Jaime Davila (Senior Teaching Facility), LizAnette Pérez-LeBoeuf (Commonwealth Honors College Director of Advising), and Phil Thomas (Associate Professor) for their contributions to my professional and personal journey. 

Where do you hope to see yourself in 5 years?

I’ve always wanted to be a speaker who advocates for women in technology. I hope to become a change agent that helps break barriers, especially for first-generation students like me. If we’re able to use AI to address educational inequities that impact students from underrepresented backgrounds, it could foster more inclusive learning environments.