Janet L. Kolodner
Janet L. Kolodner researches case-based reasoning, memory and learning. Her AI work uses remembered experiences to inform later problem solving. She founded the Journal of the Learning Sciences, became an AAAI Fellow in 1992 and published Case-Based Reasoning in 1993. With collaborators she developed Learning by Design and broader project-based science curricula. She served as an NSF program officer from 2010 to 2014, helping develop Cyberlearning.
- Works
- 278
- Citations
- 14,804
- h-index
- 42
Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 14 October 2026.
Timeline
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1980s
Reasoning from experience
Kolodner and Roger Schank researched systems that remember experiences and use them in later reasoning. Kolodner’s lab developed case-based reasoning in the 1980s and later design aids. Her doctorate was at Yale.
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1989–1993
Research, publishing and a book
Kolodner founded and edited the Journal of the Learning Sciences from 1989 to 2008. AAAI elected her a Fellow in 1992, and her Case-Based Reasoning book appeared in 1993. Her career connects AI, cognition and education.
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1990s and curriculum work
Learning by Design
Kolodner and collaborators developed Learning by Design for middle-school science. Kolodner worked with teachers, engineers and learning researchers, then collaborated with Michigan and Northwestern on Project-Based Inquiry Science. Students use design experiences and reflection as material for further learning.
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2010–2014
Cyberlearning research support
Kolodner served as an NSF program officer from 2010 to 2014. She helped establish Cyberlearning and supported interdisciplinary research informed by how people learn. Her work included program design and research aims.
Sources and credits
Photo: www.bc.edu; creator not stated. License: Not stated by source. Source: bc.edu. Cropped to a square and resized. Ask us to remove or replace this photo.