25,654 research outputs found
Towards virtual communities on the Web: Actors and audience
We report about ongoing research in a virtual
reality environment where visitors can interact with
agents that help them to obtain information, to perform
certain transactions and to collaborate with them in order
to get some tasks done. Our environment models a
theatre in our hometown. We discuss attempts to let this
environment evolve into a theatre community where we
do not only have goal-directed visitors, but also visitors
that that are not sure whether they want to buy or just
want information or visitors who just want to look
around. It is shown that we need a multi-user and multiagent
environment to realize our goals. Since our environment
models a theatre it is also interesting to investigate
the roles of performers and audience in this environment.
For that reason we discuss capabilities and personalities of agents. Some notes on the historical development of networked communities are included
Understanding Engagement within the Context of a Safety Critical Game
One of the most frequent arguments for deploying serious games is that they provide an engaging format for student learning. However, engagement is often equated with enjoyment, which may not be the most relevant conceptualization in safety-critical settings, such as law enforcement and healthcare. In these contexts, the term âseriousâ does not only relate to the non-entertainment purpose of the game but also the environment simulated by the game. In addition, a lack of engagement in a safety critical training setting can have serious ethical implications, leading to significant real-world impacts. However, evaluations of safety-critical games (SCGs) rarely provide an in-depth consideration of player experience. Thus, in relation to simulation game-based training, we are left without a clear understanding of what sort of experience players are having, what factors influence their engagement and how their engagement relates to learning. In order to address these issues, this paper reports on the mixed-method evaluation of a SCG that was developed to support police training. The findings indicate that engagement is supported by the experience situational relevance, due to the playerâs experience of real-world authenticity, targeted feedback mechanisms and learning challenges
Development of a Trust-Aware User Simulator for Statistical Proactive Dialog Modeling in Human-AI Teams
The concept of a Human-AI team has gained increasing attention in recent
years. For effective collaboration between humans and AI teammates, proactivity
is crucial for close coordination and effective communication. However, the
design of adequate proactivity for AI-based systems to support humans is still
an open question and a challenging topic. In this paper, we present the
development of a corpus-based user simulator for training and testing proactive
dialog policies. The simulator incorporates informed knowledge about proactive
dialog and its effect on user trust and simulates user behavior and personal
information, including socio-demographic features and personality traits. Two
different simulation approaches were compared, and a task-step-based approach
yielded better overall results due to enhanced modeling of sequential
dependencies. This research presents a promising avenue for exploring and
evaluating appropriate proactive strategies in a dialog game setting for
improving Human-AI teams.Comment: Preprint Version submitted to ACM UMA
Decoding learning: the proof, promise and potential of digital education
With hundreds of millions of pounds spent on digital technology for education every year â from interactive whiteboards to the rise of oneâtoâone tablet computers â every new technology seems to offer unlimited promise to learning. many sectors have benefitted immensely from harnessing innovative uses of technology. cloud computing, mobile communications and internet applications have changed the way manufacturing, finance, business services, the media and retailers operate.
But key questions remain in education: has the range of technologies helped improve learnersâ experiences and the standards they achieve? or is this investment just languishing as kit in the cupboard? and what more can decision makers, schools, teachers, parents and the technology industry do to ensure the full potential of innovative technology is exploited? There is no doubt that digital technologies have had a profound impact upon the management of learning. institutions can now recruit, register, monitor, and report on students with a new economy, efficiency, and (sometimes) creativity. yet, evidence of digital technologies producing real transformation in learning and teaching remains elusive. The education sector has invested heavily in digital technology; but this investment has not yet resulted in the radical improvements to learning experiences and educational attainment. in 2011, the Review of Education Capital found that maintained schools spent ÂŁ487 million on icT equipment and services in 2009-2010.
1 since then, the education system has entered a state of flux with changes to the curriculum, shifts in funding, and increasing school autonomy. While ring-fenced funding for icT equipment and services has since ceased, a survey of 1,317 schools in July 2012 by the british educational suppliers association found they were assigning an increasing amount of their budget to technology. With greater freedom and enthusiasm towards technology in education, schools and teachers have become more discerning and are beginning to demand more evidence to justify their spending and strategies. This is both a challenge and an opportunity as it puts schools in greater charge of their spending and use of technolog
Responsible research and innovation in science education: insights from evaluating the impact of using digital media and arts-based methods on RRI values
The European Commission policy approach of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is gaining momentum in European research planning and development as a strategy to align scientific and technological progress with socially desirable and acceptable ends. One of the RRI agendas is science education, aiming to foster future generations' acquisition of skills and values needed to engage in society responsibly. To this end, it is argued that RRI-based science education can benefit from more interdisciplinary methods such as those based on arts and digital technologies. However, the evidence existing on the impact of science education activities using digital media and arts-based methods on RRI values remains underexplored. This article comparatively reviews previous evidence on the evaluation of these activities, from primary to higher education, to examine whether and how RRI-related learning outcomes are evaluated and how these activities impact on students' learning. Forty academic publications were selected and its content analysed according to five RRI values: creative and critical thinking, engagement, inclusiveness, gender equality and integration of ethical issues. When evaluating the impact of digital and arts-based methods in science education activities, creative and critical thinking, engagement and partly inclusiveness are the RRI values mainly addressed. In contrast, gender equality and ethics integration are neglected. Digital-based methods seem to be more focused on students' questioning and inquiry skills, whereas those using arts often examine imagination, curiosity and autonomy. Differences in the evaluation focus between studies on digital media and those on arts partly explain differences in their impact on RRI values, but also result in non-documented outcomes and undermine their potential. Further developments in interdisciplinary approaches to science education following the RRI policy agenda should reinforce the design of the activities as well as procedural aspects of the evaluation research
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