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What is Cognitive Efficiency?

Cognitive efficiency is a comprehensive metric that measures how effectively students process information, combining correctness, time spent, and confidence to provide a holistic view of learning effectiveness.

The Efficiency Formula

Cognitive efficiency combines multiple factors:
Efficiency = (Correctness × Confidence) / Time
Where:
  • Correctness: 1 for correct, 0 for incorrect
  • Confidence: Self-reported 1-5 scale
  • Time: Time spent on question in seconds
Higher efficiency scores indicate students who answer correctly, with high confidence, and minimal time - the ideal learning state.

Efficiency Dimensions

Time Efficiency

How quickly students solve problems without sacrificing accuracy:
time_efficiency = {
    "fast_correct": 25,      # <30s, correct
    "moderate_correct": 15,  # 30-60s, correct
    "slow_correct": 10,      # >60s, correct
    "incorrect": 0           # Any time, wrong
}

Confidence Accuracy

Alignment between confidence and correctness:
confidence_alignment = {
    "high_conf_correct": 1.0,      # Confident and right
    "low_conf_correct": 0.6,       # Uncertain but right
    "high_conf_wrong": 0.0,        # Confident but wrong
    "low_conf_wrong": 0.2          # Uncertain and wrong
}
Track efficiency over time to identify improvement or decline:
efficiency_trend = {
    "current_efficiency": 0.75,
    "trend_7_days": "improving",
    "trend_30_days": "stable",
    "peak_efficiency": 0.85
}

Usage Example

from cognition_engine import CognitionEngine

engine = CognitionEngine(supabase_url, supabase_key)

# Get efficiency metrics
efficiency = await engine.get_cognitive_efficiency("student_123")

print(f"Overall efficiency: {efficiency['overall_efficiency']:.2f}")
print(f"Time efficiency: {efficiency['time_efficiency']:.2f}")
print(f"Trend: {efficiency['efficiency_trend']}")

Efficiency Patterns

High Efficiency Pattern

Quick correct answers with high confidence. Students understand concepts deeply and apply them efficiently.
Ready for increased difficulty or new topics. Strong foundation allows faster advancement.
Challenge with harder problems. Introduce advanced topics.

Moderate Efficiency Pattern

Correct answers but take longer or show uncertainty. Students understand but need reinforcement.
Good grasp of concepts but not yet automatic. More practice will improve speed and confidence.
Continue current difficulty level. Focus on similar problems to build fluency.

Low Efficiency Pattern

Slow progress with frequent errors or low confidence. Students struggle with concepts.
Foundation skills may be weak. May need review or easier problems.
Lower difficulty. Review fundamentals. Increase practice frequency.

Efficiency by Skill

Track efficiency across different topics:
skill_efficiency = {
    "algebra": 0.85,        # Strong efficiency
    "geometry": 0.72,       # Good efficiency
    "trigonometry": 0.45,   # Low efficiency - needs attention
    "statistics": 0.78      # Good efficiency
}

# Identify skills needing improvement
weak_skills = [skill for skill, eff in skill_efficiency.items() 
               if eff < 0.60]
print(f"Skills to focus on: {weak_skills}")

Integration with BKT

Cognitive efficiency enhances BKT mastery estimates:

Cognitive Load Indicators

Monitor signs of cognitive overload:

Warning Signs

  • Increasing time: Problems taking longer than expected
  • Answer changes: Frequent corrections suggest uncertainty
  • Low confidence: Despite correct answers
  • Declining efficiency: Trend over recent sessions

Intervention Triggers

if efficiency['cognitive_load_warning']:
    print("High cognitive load detected")
    print("Recommendations:")
    print("- Reduce session length")
    print("- Lower difficulty temporarily")
    print("- Increase breaks between problems")

Performance Snapshots

Capture comprehensive efficiency profiles:
snapshot = await engine.create_performance_snapshot("student_123")

efficiency_profile = {
    "overall_efficiency": 0.75,
    "cognitive_efficiency_score": 0.68,
    "time_efficiency": 0.82,
    "confidence_accuracy": 0.91,
    "peak_performance_time": "morning",
    "cognitive_load": "moderate"
}

Best Practices

Monitor efficiency trends over 7-day periods. Short-term fluctuations are normal, but sustained patterns indicate real changes.
Don’t prioritize efficiency over understanding. Some problems naturally take more time. High efficiency is good, but mastery is the goal.
Combine efficiency metrics with mastery probability and velocity for the most complete picture of student learning.

Next Steps