CBT × Self-Regulated Learning × LLM

A coach for thethoughts behindprocrastination.

An LLM-based chatbot that integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) and Self-Regulated Learning into one personalized coaching system — empathetic, context-aware, and grounded in real LMS data.

TimeWise: Integrating CBT and Self-Regulated Learning in an LLM-Based Time Management Coaching System for College Students in Online Learning
Zilu Jiang¹ · Qiujie Li² · Sina Rismanchian³ · Jinwon Kim³ · Zexin Xu⁴ · Di Xu³
¹Johns Hopkins University · ²Nanyang Technological University · ³UC Irvine · ⁴UT Dallas
The theory
0%+

of college students suffer from procrastination. Online learning demands high self-regulation — so TimeWise merges SRL (planning, monitoring, reflection) with REBT (surfacing and disputing irrational beliefs) in one conversational loop.

Each stage below is demonstrated in the live demo — click one to jump to it. ↓

How a session moves · SRL phase ⇄ chatbot stage ⇄ REBT step
Forethought
00Plan for a new event
Planning
Performance
01Present time management behaviors↓ see it
Activation
Performance
02Analyze implementation of study event↓ see it
Activation
Performance
03Explore thoughts, emotion, and beliefs↓ see it
Belief + Consequence
Self-Reflection
04Dispute irrational beliefs↓ see it
Dispute
Self-Reflection
05Establish rational beliefs↓ see it
Effective
Self-Reflection
06Establish willingness to apply new strategies↓ see it
Effective
← Self-Regulated LearningREBT (CBT) →
Live demo

Six moments from
real coaching sessions

Each block replays an annotated conversation from the usability study, step by step. Inside, switch to “Try it” to take the student's seat and chat yourself.

STAGE 01
Present time management behaviors
TimeWise pulls real Canvas (LMS) data and turns it into a study-pattern visualization, so students see their habits instead of guessing at them.
Performance — Self-ObservationActivation
Welcome back, JJ! Before we plan ahead, let's look at how your past few weeks actually went. Here is…
Looking at it... I usually don't open an assignment until a day or two before it's due, and most of…
Play demo
STAGE 02
Analyze implementation of study event
The coach helps the student turn a vague intention into a specific plan — then stress-tests it against the distractions and emotions that usually break it.
Performance — Self-ControlActivation
Thanks for sharing that! It sounds like you have a lot on your plate with this condensed course. Let…
I plan to start working on this assignment on Tuesday at 3:00pm. I plan to spend about 2 hours on it…
Play demo
STAGE 03
Explore thoughts, emotion, and beliefs
Through open-ended Socratic questions, the coach surfaces the irrational beliefs hiding behind procrastination. Different students carry different beliefs — this stage branches into three of them.
Performance — Self-Reflection bridgeBelief + Consequence
Irrational thoughts3
click to explore ↓
Irrational beliefs3
click to explore ↓
STAGE 04
Dispute irrational beliefs
The coach gently challenges the belief — not the student — using evidence from their own life and the "would you say this to a friend?" double-standard test.
Self-ReflectionDispute
Would you call a friend a failure if they said this, or just say they're having a hard time?
I just feel like a failure lately. I keep missing deadlines. It's like I can't do anything right.
Play demo
STAGE 05
Establish rational beliefs
Once the old belief loosens, the coach helps the student build a workable replacement — "done first, perfect later" — and immediately anchors it to a next step.
Self-ReflectionEffective new belief
What would it mean if your work wasn't perfect but still showed your effort and progress?
I must finish everything perfectly, or it feels like I failed already.
Play demo
STAGE 06
Establish willingness to apply new strategies
The conversation lands on concrete, student-sized strategies — "just two pages" — plus a real schedule, turning reflection into a plan they actually intend to follow.
Self-Reflection → next ForethoughtEffective — strategy adoption
What usually causes you to lose focus?
When I can't focus, I just quit. It's too much to deal with.
Play demo
Findings

Voices from the students

Lab-based usability study: 6 undergraduates in a fully online chemistry course — think-aloud sessions, interviews, and chat-log analysis (222 coded excerpts, 84% positive).

0%
Positive experience
of interview excerpts reflected a positive experience
0
Clarity
responses clear and comprehensible across interactions
0
Accuracy
accurately reflected prior statements and LMS context
0
Relevance
stayed aligned with topics raised in each interaction
✋ Grab a note and move it around
It feels like I'm talking to a person, not a bot.
Humanized conversation
I like that it's taking data from Canvas to analyze my habits.
Data-driven coaching
It made me do some internal self-reflection on my study habits critically… observations perhaps I hadn't made before.
Critical self-reflection
I was surprised that it could pull off a plot — it made everything make more sense visually.
On the visualization
It connects your emotions with your actions and your feelings — instead of just giving you broad generic responses.
On emotional connection
ChatGPT just spews information. This one actually asks questions.
On questioning style
It's like chatting with a counselor.
On tone
It started with simple questions and gradually moved to more specific ones — which I liked.
On conversation flow
The incorporation of the graph was pretty cool — a lot of AIs don't have that.
On the graph feature
It flowed pretty naturally.
On the interface
At first I was kind of confused — but it reads pretty well once you understand it.
On graph readability
At the beginning it was effective… but it became repetitive and lengthy.
On interaction length
I don't think the wait time is too bad — unless it's a whole minute, then it defeats the purpose.
On response time
I don't want to spend extra time answering questions — I'd rather get a quick solution.
Prefers speed over depth
It should provide specific examples after each question instead of quickly moving on.
Wanted more depth

Have you ever had these thoughts…

“I must finish this perfectly.”“If I fall behind, it ruins my whole week.”“I can’t stand losing focus.”“I’m not smart enough for this.”“I’ll wait until I’m in the mood.”“I have to handle everything at once.”“I’m failing at this task = I am a failure.”