ND.

WELCOME. I AM

Nia Nixon (née Dowell)

Exploring the world through language and discourse

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News

  • Washington, D.C. Nov 2023

    Excited to give an invited presentation/ for the the National Academy of Sciences meeting on What to do About and With AI in Education: Challenges and Opportunities for AI in Teaching and Learning

  • World Oct 2023

    Excited to give a keynote presentation for the GRAILE Sense Making Lectures on Advancing the Science of Collaboration with AI

  • Tübingen, Germany Oct 2023

    Excited to give a keynote presentation for the LEAD retreat

  • World 2023

    New podcast for Rising Tide: Change Makers

  • Patent, Patent!!! Read all about it! Nov. 9th, 2021

    So happy to announce that our patent is finally finalized Nov. 9th 2021

    Dowell, N. M. & Nixon, M. T. (November 9, 2021). Computational linguistic analysis of learners' discourse in computer-mediated group learning environments. Application Number: US Patent No. 11,170,177. United States of America.

About me

I'm an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine, Faculty Innovation Fellow at UCI Beall Applied Innovation, the Director of the Language and Learning Analytics Laboratory (LaLA-Lab), and Vice President of the Society for Learning Analytics Research (SoLAR), which is an interdisciplinary network of leading international researchers who are exploring the role and impact of analytics on teaching, learning, training and development. My primary interests are in Cognitive Science, team dynamics, learning analytics, artificial intelligence, and inclusive STEM. In general, my research focuses on using language and discourse to uncover the dynamics of socially significant, cognitive, and affective processes. I am currently applying computational techniques to model discourse and social dynamics in a variety of environments including small group computer-mediated collaborative learning environments and collaborative design networks. My research has also extended beyond the educational and learning sciences spaces and highlighted the practical applications of computational discourse science in the clinical, political and social sciences areas.

About the LaLA-Lab

The Language and Learning Analytics Laboratory (The LaLA-Lab), is situated in the UCI School of Education and brings together an interdisciplinary group of students and faculty who explore the intersections of technology with teaching, learning, and education, with a particular focus on learning analytics, educational data mining, and collaborative engagement. Dr. Nia Dowell, Assistant Professor in Education at UC-Irvine, is the director of The LA-Lab that includes researchers with backgrounds in cognitive science, information, psychology, and statistics. The LA-Lab takes a multi-disciplinary approach that builds on theories and methods in the learning sciences, cognitive psychology, human-computer interaction, and computational social sciences. Dr. Dowell and her team conduct basic research on sociocognitive and affective processes across a range of educational technology interaction contexts and develop computational models of these processes and their relationship to learner outcomes. Their research uses a range of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques such as computational linguistics and machine learning. Current projects focus on i) understanding differences in students’ socio-cognitive engagement patterns across gender and racial lines, ii) identifying interpersonal dynamics that characterize varying levels of sense of belonging during collaborative interactions, and ii) developing AI based interventions to promote inclusivity in digitally-mediated team problem-solving environments.

Research Program

Computational Discourse Science

Statistical Methods

  • linear and nonlinear modeling
  • multilevel modeling
  • structural equation modeling
  • machine learning

NLP

  • Group Communication Analysis
  • Large language models (LLMs)
  • Etc.

Theory

  • Discourse Theory
  • Cognitive Science Theory
  • Social Science Theory
54

Publications

50

Conference Presentations

35

Invited Presentations

10

Awards & Honors

Publications

Journal Publications

  • Nixon, N. M. , Lin, Y., Snow, L.(in press). Catalyzing Equity in STEM Teams: Harnessing Generative AI for Inclusion and Diversity Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
  • Dowell, N. M. , McKay, T., & Perrett, G. (2021). It’s not that you said it, it’s how you said it: Exploring the linguistic mechanisms underlying values affirmation interventions at scale. AERA Open. doi: 10.1177/23328584211011611
  • Schneider, B., Dowell, N. M.,& Thompson, K. (2021). Collaboration Analytics — Current State and Potential Futures. Journal of Learning Analytics , 8(1), 1 – 12. doi: 10.18608/jla.2021.7447
  • Dowell, N. M. , & Poquet, O. (2021). SCIP: Identifying learner roles through group communication and interpersonal network positioning in scaled digital environments Computers in Human Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106709
  • Dowell, N. M. , Lin, Y., & Godfrey, A., & Brooks, C.(2020). Exploring the relationship between emergent sociocognitive roles, collaborative problem- solving skills and outcomes: A Group Communication Analysis. Journal of Learning Analytics. doi: https://doi.org/10.18608/jla.2020.71.4
  • Dowell, N. M. , Nixon, T., & Graesser, A. C. (2019). Group communication analysis: A computational linguistics approach for detecting sociocognitive roles in multi-party interactions. Behavior Research Methods, 51(3).doi:10.3758/s13428-018-1102-z doi: 10.3758/s13428-018-1102-z
  • Joksimović, S., Dowell, N. M. , Gašević, D., Mirriahi, N., Dawson, S., & Graesser, A. C. (2019). Linguistic characteristics of reflective states in video annotations under different instructional conditions. Computers in Human Behavior, 96(1), 43 – 86.doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2018.03.003
  • Joksimović, S., Dowell, N. M., Poquet, O., Kovanović, V., Gašević, D., Dawson, S., & Graesser, A. C. (2018). Exploring development of social capital in a cMOOC through language and discourse. Internet and Higher Education, 36, 54 – 64. doi: 10.1016/j.iheduc.2017.09.004
  • Joksimović, S., Poquet, O., Kovanović, V., Dowell, N. M., Mills, C., Gašević, D., Dawson, S., Graesser, A. C., & Brooks, C. (2017). How do we model learning at scale? A systematic review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 88(1), 43 – 86. doi: 10.3102/0034654317740335
  • Windsor, L. C., Dowell, N. M., Windsor, A., Kaltner, J., & Graesser, A. C. (2017). Leader language and survival strategies in the Arab Spring. International Interactions, 44(2), 321 – 336.doi: 10.1080/03050629.2017.1345737
  • Dowell, N. M., Graesser, A. C., & Cai, Z. (2017). Language and discourse analysis with Coh-Metrix: Applications from educational material to learning environments at scale. Journal of Learning Analytics, 3(3), 72 – 95. doi: 10.18608/ jla.2016.33.5
  • Rubin, D. C., Deffler, S. A., Ogle, C. M., Dowell, N. M., & Graesser, A. C. (2016). Participant, rater, and computer measures of coherence in post-traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 125(1), 11-25. doi:10.1037/abn0000126
  • Dowell, N. M., & Graesser, A. C. (2015). Modeling learners’ cognitive, affective, and social processes through language and discourse. Journal of Learning Analytics, 1(3), 183-186. doi:10.18608/10.18608/jla.2014.13.18
  • Dowell, N. M., Windsor, L., & Graesser, A. (2015). Computational linguistics analysis of leaders during crises in authoritarian regimes. Dynamics of Asymmetrical Conflict, 8(3), 1-12. doi: 10.1080/17467586.2015.1038286
  • Windsor, L., Dowell, N. M., & Graesser, A. (2014) The language of autocrats: Leaders' language in natural crises. Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy, 5(4), 446-467. doi: 10.1002/rhc3.12068
  • D’Mello, S. K., Dowell, N. M., & Graesser, A. C. (2013). Unimodal and multimodal human perception of naturalistic non-basic affective states during human-computer interactions. IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing, 4(4), 452-465. doi:10.1109/T-AFFC.2013.19
  • Dowell, N. M., & Berman, J. (2013). Therapist nonverbal behavior and perceptions of empathy, therapeutic alliance, and treatment credibility. Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, 23(2), 158-165. Therapist nonverbal behavior and perceptions of empathy, therapeutic alliance, and treatment credibility.doi: 10.1037/a0031421
  • D’Mello, S. K., Dowell, N. M., & Graesser, A. C. (2011). Does it really matter whether students’ contributions are spoken versus typed in an intelligent tutoring system with natural language? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 17(1), 1-17. doi:10.1037/a0022674
  • Graesser, A. C., Dowell, N., & Moldovan, C. (2011). A computer’s understanding of literature. Scientific Studies of Literature, 1(1), 24-33. doi:10.1075/ssol.1.1.03gra

Book Chapters

  • Rod, R. D., Salehi, S., Dowell, N. M. Worsley, M., Piech, C., & Luckin, R. (2022). Inclusion and equity as a paradigm shift for artificial intelligence in education. In Artificial Intelligence in STEM Education: The Paradigmatic Shifts in Research, Education, and Technology (pp. xx – xx). Taylor & Francis.
  • Dowell, N. M. & Kovanovic, V. (2022). Modeling educational discourse with natural language processing and text mining. In C. Lang, G. Siemens, A. F. Wise, & D. Gaevic (Eds.), Handbook of Learning Analytics (Second edition, pp. xx–xx). Society for Learning Analytics Research.
  • Hu, X., Dowell, N. M. , Zhiqiang, C., Graesser, A. C., Shi, G., Cockroft, J., & Shorter, P. (2018). Constructing Individual Conversation Characteristics Curves (ICCC) for Interactive Intelligent Tutoring Environments (IITE). In R. Sottilare (Ed.), Design recommendations for intelligent tutoring systems (Team Learning and Task work, Vol. 6, pp. 133–144). Orlando, FL: Army Research Laboratory.(Link to book)
  • Graesser, A. C., Dowell, N. M., Hampton, A., Lippert, A., Li, H., & Shaffer, D. W. (2018). Building intelligent conversational tutors and mentors for team collaborative problem solving: Lessons from the 2015 program for international student assessment. In J. Johnston, R. Sottilare, A. Sinatra, & S. Burke (Eds.), Building intelligent tutoring systems for teams: What matters.(pp. 173–211). England, U.K.: Emerald. doi: 10.1108/S1534-085620180000019012
  • Graesser, A. C., Dowell, N. M., & Clewley, D. (2017). Assessing collaborative problem solving through conversational agents. In A. Von Davier, M. Zhu, & P. C. Kyllonen (Eds.), Innovative assessment of collaboration (pp. 65–80). Springer. Princeton, NJ. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-33261-1_5

Published Conference Proceedings (Strictly Peer-Reviewed)

  • Samadi, M. A., JaQuay, S., Lin, Y., Tajik, E., Park, S., & Nixon, N. M., (2024). Minds and Machines Unite: Deciphering Social and Cognitive Dynamics in Collaborative Problem Solving with AI. In Proceedings of the 14th Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference. . ACM
  • Chopra, H., Lin, Y., Samadi, M., Cavazos, J., Yu, R., & Jaquay, S., Nixon, N. M., (2023). Semantic Topic Chains for Modeling Temporality of Themes in Online Student Discussion Forums. In Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Educational Data Mining..
  • Chopra, H., Lin, Y., Samadi, M., Cavazos, J., Yu, R., & Jaquay, S., Nixon, N. M., (2022). Detecting Topics and Trends of Student Discourse across the Pandemic in Online Discussion Forum. In Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education., ACM. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11647-6_91
  • Samadi, M., Cavazos, J., Lin, Y., & Nixon, N. M., (2022). Exploring Cultural Diversity and Collaborative Team Communication through a Dynamical Systems Lens. In A. Mitrovic and N. Bosch, (Eds.), In Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Educational Data Mining, (pp. 263–275). International Educational Data Mining Society. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6853083
  • Lin, Y., Dowell, N. M., & Godfrey, A. (2021). Skills matter: Modeling the relationship between decision-making processes and collaborative problem-solving skills during Hidden Profile tasks. Proceedings of the 11th International Conference for Learning Analytics & Knowledge Conference (pp. 428–437). Virtual, USA: ACM.
  • Kizilcec, R., Brooks, C., & Dowell, N. M. (2020). Designing Inclusive Learning Environments at Scale. In Proceedings of the Seventh (2020) ACM Conference on Learning @ Scale. (pp. 225–228). Cambridge, M.A.: ACM doi: 10.1145/3386527.3405935
  • Lin, Y., Yu, R., & Dowell, N. M. (2020). LIWCs the Same, Not the Same: Gendered Linguistic Signals of Performance and Experience in Online STEM Courses. In Bittencourt I., Cukurova M., Muldner K., Luckin R., Millán E. (Eds.) Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 12163, (p. xx-xx). Ifrane Morocco: Springer, Cham. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-52237-7_27 [26% acceptance rate]
  • Brooks, C., Davis, D., Dowell, N. M., Gardner, J., Necamp, T., Poquet, O., Kizilcec, R., & Williams, J. (2019). Diving in to Educational Experiments: Process, Evaluation, and Reasoning in Support of Learning (DEEPER Support of Learning). In D. Azcona & R. Chung (Eds.), Proceedings of the 9th International Conference for Learning Analytics & Knowledge Conference (pp. xx–xx). Temple, AZ, USA: ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3386527.3405935
  • Choi, H., Dowell, N. M., Brooks, C., & Teasley, S. (2019). Social Comparison in MOOCs: Perceived SES, Opinion, and Message Formality. In D. Azcona & R. Chung (Eds.), Proceedings of the 9th International Conference for Learning Analytics & Knowledge Conference (pp. xx–xx). Temple, AZ, USA: ACM. doi: 10.1145/3303772.3303773
  • Dowell, N. M. (2019). Preparing for the future: Group communication analysis as a tool to facilitate adaptive support during digitally-mediated team interactions. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on AI + Adaptive Education . Beijing, China: ACM.
  • Dowell, N. M., Lin, Y., Godfrey, A., Cho, H., & Brooks, C. (2019). Promoting inclusivity through time-dynamic discourse analysis in digitally-mediated collaborative learning. In B. McLaren & R. Luckin (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (pp. 207–219). Chicago, IL: ACM. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-23204-7_18 [Best Paper Award]
  • Lin, Y., Dowell, N. M., Godfrey, A., Choi, H., & Brooks, C. (2019). Modeling Gender in Intra and Interpersonal Dynamics during Online Learning Collaborative Interactions. In D. Azcona & R. Chung (Eds.), Proceedings of the 9th International Conference for Learning Analytics & Knowledge Conference (pp. 431–435). Temple, AZ, USA: ACM. doi: 10.1145/3303772.3303837 [Best Paper Award]
  • Yan, W., Dowell, N. M., Holman, C., Welsh, S., Choi, H., & Brooks, C. (2018). Exploring Learner Engagement Patterns in Teach-Outs: Using Topic, Sentiment and On-topicness to Reflect on Pedagogy. In D. Azcona & R. Chung (Eds.), Proceedings of the 9th International Conference for Learning Analytics & Knowledge Conference (pp. 431–435). Temple, AZ, USA: ACM. doi: 10.1145/3303772.3303836
  • Choi, H., Dowell, N. M., & Brooks, C. (2018). Social comparison theory as applied to MOOC student writing: Constructs for opinion and ability. In J. Kay & R. Luckin (Eds.), Proceedings of the 13th International Conference for the Learning Sciences (pp. 1421–1423). London, England: ACM. doi: 10.22318/cscl2018.1421
  • Dowell, N. M. , Poquet, O., & Brooks, C. (2018). Applying group communication analysis to educational discourse interactions at scale. In Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on the Learning Sciences (pp. 1815–1822). London, England. doi: 10.22318/cscl2018.1815 [Crossover Paper]
  • Hu, J., Dowell, N. M., & Brooks, C. (2018). Temporal changes in affiliation and emotion in MOOC discussion forum discourse. In C. P. Rose, R. Martínez-Maldonado, & H. U. Hoppe (Eds.), Proceedings of 19th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (pp. xx–xx). London, England: Springer-Verlag. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-93846-2_26
  • Hu, X., Dowell, N. M., & Graesser, A. C. (2018). Automatically monitoring/regulating group behavior using individual conversation curves (ICCC). In Proceedings of the Workshop on Assessment and Intervention during Team Tutoring at the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (pp. xx–xx). London, England: Springer-Verlag.
  • Poquet, O., Dowell, N. M., Brooks, C., & Dawson, S. (2018). Are MOOC forums changing? In A. Pardo, K. Bartimote-Aufflick, B. Fuz, & G. Lynch (Eds.), Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge (pp. xx–xx). Sidney, Australia: ACM.
  • Cai, Z., Eagen, B., Dowell, N. M., Pennebaker, J. W., & Graesser, A. C. (2017). Epistemic network analysis and topic modeling for chat data from collaborative learning environment. In X. Hu, T. Barnes, A. Hershkovitz, & L. Paquette (Ed.), Proceeding of the 10th International Conference on Educational Data Mining (pp. 104–111). Wuhan, China: International Educational Data Mining Society.
  • Dowell, N. M., Brooks, C., Kovanović, V., Joksimović, S., & Gašević, D. (2017). The changing patterns of MOOC discourse. In C. Urrea, J. Reich, & C. Thille (Eds.), Proceedings of the Fourth ACM Conference on Learning @ Scale (pp. 283–286). Cambridge, M.A.: ACM
  • Poquet, O., Dawson, S., & Dowell, N. M. (2017). How effective is your facilitation? Group level analytics of MOOC forums. In xx (Ed.), Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge (pp. 238–248). Vancouver: ACM.
  • Nixon, T., & Dowell, N. M. (2016). Coh-Metrix in the cloud: lessons from implementing a web-scale text analytics platform. In R. Ferguson, M. Sharkey, & N. Mirriahi (Eds.), Practitioner Track Proceedings of the 6th International Learning Analytics & Knowledge Conference (LAK16) (pp. 45–46). University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK: SoLAR.
  • Dowell, N. M., Skrypnyk, O., Joksimović, S., Graesser, A. C., Dawson, S., Gašević, S., Hennis, T., de Vries, P., & Kovanović, V. (2015). Modeling learners’ social centrality and performance through language and discourse. In C. Romero & M. Pechenizkiy (Eds.), Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Educational Data Mining (pp. 250-257). International Educational Data Mining Society.
  • Joksimović, S., Dowell, N. M., Oleksandra, S., Kovanović, V., Gašević, D., Dawson, S., & Graesser, A. C. (2015). How do you connect? Analysis of social capital accumulation in connectivist MOOCs. In J. Baron, & G. Lynch (Eds.), Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Learning Analytics and Knowledge (pp. 64-68). New York: ACM.
  • Cade, W. L., Dowell, N. M., Tausczik, Y. R., Pennebaker, J. W., & Graesser, A. C. (2014). Modeling students socioaffective responses to group interactions in a collaborative online chat environment. In J. Stamper, Z. Pardos, M. Mavrikis, B. M. McLaren (Eds.), Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Educational Data Mining (pp. 399-400). Worcester, MA: International Educational Data Mining Society.
  • Dowell, N. M., Cade, W. L., Tausczik, Y. R., Pennebaker, J. W., & Graesser, A. C. (2014). What works: Creating adaptive and intelligent systems for collaborative learning support. In S. Trausan-Matu, K. E., Boyer, M. Crosby, & K. Panourgia (Eds.), Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Intelligent Tutoring Systems (pp. 124 - 133). Berlin: Springer.
  • Duan, Y., Dowell, N. M., Graesser, A. C., & Li, H. (2014). Linguistic style and social historical context: An automated linguistic analysis of Mao Zedong’s speeches. In W. Eberle & C. Boonthum-Denecke (Eds.) Proceedings of 27th Florida Artificial Intelligence Research Society Conference (pp. 43-46). Menlo Park, CA: AAAI Press.
  • Dowell, N. M., D’Mello, S. K., Mills, C., & Graesser, A. C. (2011). Does topic matter? Topic influences on linguistic and rubric-based evaluation of writing. In G. Biswas, S. Bull, J. Kay, & A. Mitrovic (Eds.), Proceedings of 15th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (pp. 450–452). Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag.
  • D’Mello, S. K., Dowell, N. M., & Graesser, A. C. (2009). Cohesion relationships in tutorial dialogue as predictors of affective states. In V. Dimitrova, R. Mizoguchi, B. Du Boulay, & A. C. Graesser (Eds.), Artificial Intelligence in Education: Building Learning Systems that Care: From Knowledge Representation to Affective Modeling (pp. 9-16). Amsterdam, Netherlands: IOS Press.

Presentations

Invited Presentations

  • Dowell, N. M. (2019, May). Preparing for the future: Group communication analysis as a tool to facilitate adaptive support during digitally-mediated team interactions. Invited talk presented at the 3rd International Conference on AI + Adaptive Education, Beijing, China.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2019, January). Group Communication Analysis: Applications for Online Learning Environments. Invited talk presented at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2018, December). Group Communication Analysis: A Method for Modeling Socio-Cognitive Identity in a Digital Age . Invited talk presented at Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2018, December). Group Communication Analysis: Applications for Online Learning Environments. Invited talk presented at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2018, November). Group Communication Analysis: Applications for Online Learning Environments. Invited talk presented at the University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2018, October). Group Communication Analysis: Applications for online learning environments.. Invited talk presented at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2018, October). Many faces of social identity: Detecting emergent roles in online interactions with group communication analysis. Invited talk presented at University of Southern Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2018, August). Detecting emergent roles in online interactions with group communication analysis. Invited talk presented at Educational Testing Service. Princeton, New Jersey.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2018, May). Detecting emergent roles in online interactions with group communication analysis. Invited talk presented at the International Conference on Mathematics and Statistics. FedEx Institute of Technology, University of Memphis.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2018, January). Group communication analysis: A computational linguistics approach for detecting sociocognitive roles in multi-party interactions. Invited talk presented at the Learning Innovation and Networked Knowledge Research Lab, Arlington, Texas.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2017, October). Group communication analysis: A computational linguistics approach for detecting sociocognitive roles in multi-party interactions. Invited talk presented at the Cognitive Science Seminar, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN.
  • Poquet, O., & Dowell, N. M. (2017, June). Statistical analysis of interdependent observations in learning environments: Exponential random graph modelling (ERGM). Invited Tutorial presented at Learning Analytics Summer Institutes (LASI 2014), Ann Arbor, MI.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2016, October). Group communication analysis: A computational-linguistic framework for exploring conversational roles in online multi-party communication. Invited talk presented at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
  • Dowell, N. M., (2016, March). Modeling discourse and social dynamics of successful collaborative interactions. Invited talk presented at the University of Southern Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2016, April). Computational discourse science: Applications for emerging learning environments. Invited talk presented at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2015, July). Computational discourse science with Coh-Metrix. Invited workshop presented at the Learning Innovation and Networked Knowledge Research Lab, Arlington, Texas.
  • Dowell, N. M., Cai, Z., & Graesser, A. C. (2014, July). Analyzing language and discourse with Coh-Metrix. Invited Workshop presented at 2nd Learning Analytics Summer Institutes (LASI 2014), Cambridge, MA.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2014, October). What language reveals about you: Modeling learners’ cognitive and social dynamics using Coh-Metrix. Invited talk presented at the University of Oxford, Oxford, England.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2014, October). Modeling discourse and social dynamics in authoritarian regimes. Invited talk presented for University of Lancaster, Lancaster, England.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2011, May). Language and political crisis. Invited talk presented for Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis, TN.
  • Dowell, N. M. (2010, June). Language and discourse in education. Invited talk presented for Pearson Education, Memphis, TN.

Conference Presentations

  • Lin, Y. & Dowell, N. M.(2020, April). Does size matter? modeling student interactions in online collaborative discussions. . Paper presented at the Annual meeting of American Education Research Association, San Francisco, CA.
  • Lin, Y. & Dowell, N. M.(2020, April). Gendered patterns in online collaborative discourse overtime. .Presented at AERA Satellite Conference on Educational Data Science, Stanford, CA.
  • Lin, Y., & Dowell, N. M.(2019, July). Does gender really matter?: Exploring differences in emerging discourse styles during digitally- mediated collaborative interactions. Paper presented at the Society for Text and Discourse, New York, NY.
  • Dowell, N. M. & Brooks, C.(2018, July). Many faces of social identity: Detecting emergent roles in online interactions with group communication analysis. Paper presented at the Society for Text and Discourse, Brighton, UK.
  • Mills, C. & . Dowell, N. M. & Christoff, K.(2018, July). Using Automated Measures of Cohesion to Assess the Wandering Mind: A Think-Aloud Study. Paper presented at the Society for Text and Discourse, Brighton, UK.
  • Dowell, N. M.(2018, November). Modeling Sociocognitive Identity in Online Interactions: A Group Communication Analysis Approach. Paper presented at the 59th annual meeting for Psychonomic Society, New Orleans, US.
  • Mills, C., Smith, G. K., .Dowell, N. M., Ghattan, S., & Christoff, K. (2018, November). How do the Contents of a Wandering Mind Unfold Over Time? An Automated Computational Linguistic Approach. Paper presented at the 59th Annual Meeting for Psychonomic Society, New Orleans, US.
  • Dowell, N. M., Nixon, T., Cai, Z., & Graesser, A. C. (2016, November). Group communication analysis: A computational-linguistic framework for exploring conversational roles in online multi-party communication. Paper presented at the 46th annual meeting of the Society for Computers in Psychology, Boston, MA.
  • Dowell, N. M., & Graesser, A. C. (2015, April). 50 years of text complexity: A Coh-Metrix assessment of changes in first-grade texts over time. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Conference. Chicago, Illinois.
  • Dowell, N. M., Windsor, L., Germany, M., Iacobelli, F., & Graesser, A. C. (2015, July). The partisan divide: A computational linguistic analysis of bias in the senate. Paper presented at the Society for Text and Discourse, Minneapolis, MN.
  • Cai, Z., Dowell, N. M., Li, H., & Graesser, A. C. (2015, November). Age of acquisition: How do you remember what words you learned at age one? Paper presented at the 45th annual meeting of the Society for Computers in Psychology, Chicago, IL.
  • Windsor, L., Dowell, N. M., & Graesser, A. C. (2015, April) Leaders’ language in the Arab Spring: Using text analysis to explain variation in political outcomes. Arab Spring in Global Context, Iowa City, Iowa.
  • Windsor, L., Dowell, N. M., & Graesser, A. C. (2014, November) Socio-Political and linguistic cohesion. Midwest International Studies Association, St. Louis, MO. [Winner of the Hermann Textual Analysis Award]
  • Dowell, N. M., Windsor, L., Wang, J., Mintz, L., Myers, J. Beaver, D., Hu, X., & Graesser, A. C. (2013, May). The evolution of revolution: Temporal dynamics of social cohesion and casualties during the Syrian Revolution. Poster presented at Institute for Intelligent Systems Student Research Fair, Memphis, TN.
  • Duan, Y., Dowell, N. M., Myers, J., Li, H., & Graesser, A. C. (2013, May). Leadership is influenced by social context: Relationships between the cohesion of Mao Zedong’s speeches and the social-historical context of China. Poster presented at Institute for Intelligent Systems Student Research Fair, Memphis, TN.
  • Myers, J., Dowell, N. M., Mintz, L., & Graesser, A. C. (2013, May). Analysis of linguistic features of U.S. political discourse: Presidential corpus. Poster presented at Institute for Intelligent Systems Student Research Fair, Memphis, TN
  • Windsor, L., Dowell, N. M., Li, H., Myers, J., & Graesser, A. C. (2013, April). The language of autocrats: Leadership through natural disasters. Paper presented at the 71st Annual Midwest Political Science Association Conference, Chicago, IL.
  • Dowell, N. M., Germany, M., Myers, J., & Graesser, A. C. (2012, June). Enduring leaders and their persuasive strategies. Paper presented at the Society for Text and Discourse, Old Montréal, Canada.
  • Deffler, S. A., Ogle, C. M., Dowell, N. M., Graesser, A. C., & Rubin, D. C. (2012, July). Life narratives of adults with and without PTSD: Preliminary findings. Paper presented at the Emory Cognition Project Symposium on Mental Time Travel, Atlanta, GA.
  • Deffler, S. A., Ogle, C. M., Dowell, N. M., Graesser, A. C., & Rubin, D. C. (2011, July). Measures of coherence in life narratives of adults with and without PTSD. Paper presented at the Emory Cognition Project Symposium on Mental Time Travel, Atlanta, GA.
  • Dowell, N. M., Duan, Y., Cai, Z., Hu, X., Louwerse, M., & Graesser, A. C. (2011, July). A linguistic analysis of Fidel Castro’s speeches before and after crisis. Paper presented at the Society for Text and Discourse, Poitiers, France.
  • Dowell, N. M., D’Mello, S. K., Mills, C. S., & Graesser, A. C. (2011, July). Topic effects on linguistic and rubric-based writing evaluation. Paper presented at the Society for Text and Discourse, Poitiers, France.
  • Hancock, J., Beaver, D., Pennebaker, J., Graesser, A. C., Dowell, N. M., Keshtar, F., & Liu, X. (2011, September). Discourse and social dynamics in the Arab Spring. Paper presented at the Second Annual Minerva Conference, Washington, DC.
  • Dowell, N. M., Liu, H., Cai, Z., Hu, X., Louwerse, M., & Graesser, A. C. (2010, July). Linguistic and discourse variation in Chairman Mao Zedong’s speeches. Paper presented at the Society for Text and Discourse, Chicago, IL.
  • Graesser, A. C., Cai, Z., & Dowell, N. M. (2010, January). The computational foundations of language arts. Paper presented at the 23rd International Society for the Empirical Study of Literature, Utrecht, Netherlands.

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