Project Details

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Exploring AI for Personalizing Multiple Choice Questions in the ISSIP Service Innovation Professional Certification Study Guide

Company: International Society of Service Innovation Professionals

Major(s):
Primary: EE
Secondary: CMPSC

Non-Disclosure Agreement: NO

Intellectual Property: NO

The International Society of Service Innovation Professionals (ISSIP) is a global nonprofit professional association founded in 2012 and headquartered in San Jose, California. With a community of over 2,000 individuals spanning more than 200 universities and 76 countries, ISSIP's mission is to advance service systems innovation to benefit people, business, and society. One of its professional development offerings being developed next is the Service Innovation Professional Certification, supported by a 100-question multiple choice study guide that prepares candidates for the credential. The current study guide is a single, generalized resource that does not account for the diverse career trajectories of its users. A prospective candidate pursuing a career in industry faces meaningfully different priorities than one entering academia or government service, yet all three currently receive the same preparation material. The goal of this project is to leverage artificial intelligence to personalize the certification study experience based on learner career goals, improving relevance and ultimately the value of the credential for each user type. Students will begin by analyzing the existing 100-question study guide to understand question content, difficulty, and thematic coverage. They will then research and evaluate AI-based personalization approaches, with freedom to identify, compare, and justify the methodology best suited to the task. Students are not directed toward a specific AI technique but are expected to evaluate the landscape of options and select an approach based on evidence. This work is well-suited for students with backgrounds in industrial engineering, particularly those with interest in human factors, decision modeling, and systems design, with computer science backgrounds a strong complement for the technical implementation work. The project concludes with two deliverables: three career-path-specific versions of the study guide personalized for industry, academic, and government career trajectories, and a comprehensive whitepaper documenting the problem, the importance of personalization in professional certification, the approaches considered, the methodology selected and justified, progress made, and recommended future directions for ISSIP to build on this work.