“Can I be more social with a chatbot?”: social connectedness through interactions of autistic adults with a conversational virtual human

The development of AI to function as communicators (i.e. conversational agents), has opened the opportunity to rethink AI’s place within people’s social worlds, and the process of sense-making between humans and machines, especially for people with autism who may stand to benefit from such interactions. The current study aims to explore the interactions of six autistic and six non-autistic adults with a conversational virtual human (CVH/conversational agent/chatbot) over 1-4 weeks. Using semi-structured interviews, conversational chatlogs and post-study online questionnaires, we present findings related to human-chatbot interaction, chatbot humanization/dehumanization and chatbot’s autistic/non-autistic traits through thematic analysis. Findings suggest that although autistic users are willing to converse with the chatbot, there are no indications of relationship development with the chatbot. Our analysis also highlighted autistic users’ expectations of empathy from the chatbot. In the case of the non-autistic users, they tried to stretch the conversational agent’s abilities by continuously testing the AI conversational/cognitive skills. Moreover, non-autistic users were content with Kuki’s basic conversational skills, while on the contrary, autistic participants expected more in-depth conversations, as they trusted Kuki more. The findings offer insights to a new human-chatbot interaction model specifically for users with autism with a view to supporting them via companionship and social connectedness

A framework for developing a conversational agent to improve normal age- associated memory loss and increase subjective wellbeing

Research has developed a baseline conversational agent (CA) framework that experiments suggest may improve normal ageing memory problems and increase Subjective Wellbeing (SWB) in participants aged 60+ with normal age-associated memory loss. In 2008, 1.3 million people in the United Kingdom were aged 85+, this figure is projected to reach 3.3 million by 2033 (Morse, 2010). Thus, as the population profile changes, ageing memory impairment problems will become acuter (Morse, 2010). The number of people worldwide with diagnosed clinical memory problems is expected to double every 20 years to 66 million by 2030 and 115 million by 2050 (Casey et al., 2016, Prince et al., 2013). Improving memory impairment reduces distress for individuals and enhances wellbeing and independence (Dorin, 2007); (Wagner et al., 2010). The quality of life in old age can be improved by increasing SWB (George, 2010) that is concerned with how people experience the quality of their lives and includes both emotional reactions and cognitive judgments (George, 2010). Experiments performed as part of the pilot study suggested evidence of increased SWB and improved memory after use of the CA. To support these early findings, modification to the agent and further experimentation was undertaken. Further work enhanced the preliminary work that was carried out and provided the opportunity to run further, more in-depth evaluations of the CA as both a reminiscence aid and as an improver of SWB. This PhD study applied for and gained ethical approval (SE111219) from the Faculty of Science & Engineering Ethics Committee, Manchester Metropolitan University on 25 October 2012

Intelligent intervention by conversational agent through chatlog analysis

Abstract E-learning systems based on a conversational agent provide the basis of an intuitive, responsive, engaging interface for the online learner. This paper proposes an approach to intelligent intervention and strategic pedagogical design for improving student engagement when chatting with a conversational agent. First, we used previous conversational logs to detect and classify interaction behaviors of learners. And then we designed a set of strategies for intelligent intervention to improve learners’ engagement when conversing with the conversational agents. We implemented a multiagent framework to apply the strategy-based intervention. The effectiveness of learner interaction behaviors and the impact of intelligent intervention by the conversational agent were evaluated through chatlog analysis. Although not all of the quantitative tests were sensitive enough to detect the effect of the interventions, the findings suggest that the detection of behaviours was accurate. The interventions were observed to have the desired effect on behaviours associated with conversational engagement

Online Digital Game-Based Language Learning Environments: Opportunities for Second Language Development

This dissertation project is an analysis of the language learning processes of 14 learners playing in and interacting with the massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) World of Warcraft (WoW) in German in order to determine how second language development (SLD) emerges. The data for this study was collected from the in-game experiences and out-of-game conversations of students at the University of Waterloo over the course of four months. Participants were asked to play the game in an extramural setting without any instructor intervention; the only stipulation was that each participant played a minimum of 10 hours. Three times throughout the course of the study, participants met in small focus groups to discuss their gameplay experiences in German. By doing so, the near transfer of linguistic constructions from the gaming context to the out-of-game environment could be observed as evidence of SLD. A complex adaptive systems (CAS) theoretical framework was employed to analyze the language learning and gameplay trajectories of the learners. All language that was observed and produced was recorded and transcribed in order to determine to what extent the transfer occurs while playing WoW, and which type of language learner and approach to gameplay is optimally suited for extramural digital game-based language learning (DGBLL). Pairwise comparisons were conducted for which eight participants were studied in detail. Each individual’s gameplay and language learning experience resulted in the computation of an efficacy score, representing how much linguistic growth occurred relative to the amount of language production that each individual contributed in the in-person or online conversations. By analyzing the efficacy of the learners’ trajectories through a retrodictive qualitative modeling methodology, whereby the process of analysis is reversed so that the outcomes of the system are considered first, each learner’s SLD is traced back to determine which factors and experiences emergent in DGBLL influenced change and growth. The results of this study position MMORPGs as well-suited for SLD in extramural contexts so long as learners are given the opportunity to communicate about the game with fellow players or language learners. If this condition is met, and individuals are given the opportunity to experience the game at their own pace, learners are able to successfully transfer linguistic constructions from the gaming context to the out-of-game environment. Fundamentally, the analysis of these results reveals that due to gameplay and language learning trajectories being nonlinear, a CAS conceptualization of gameplay for SLD purposes is necessary to understand the many factors and influences which lead to development and change within the system. Each learner’s efficacy score proves to be a valuable means by which to gauge the SLD of each learner over the course of the gameplay experience, suggesting that certain factors, such as the amount of time spent playing the game, and the learner’s previous experience learning languages and its relation to his or her rationale for studying German, are worth researching in order to best understand the growth conditions which will lead to SLD in DGBLL

An investigation of the efficacy of face-to-face versus synchronous chat in the generation and development of written drafts in the EAP class

The thesis is a study of the early stages of the writing cycle in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) class at the University of Singapore. The study focuses on a group brainstorming activity prior to the stage of writing the first draft and on the impact of this activity on the students’ first individual drafts. In addition, the study compares two different modes of discussion: face-to-face and online synchronous chat. The comparison is concerned with the interactional patterns of the discussion in the two modes, and with the transfer of content from the discussion to the first written drafts. The use of group brainstorming at the pre-writing stage is a familiar activity in the writing class but researchers have not yet paid much attention to the way in which the ideas generated in the brainstorming activity are transferred to individual written drafts. It is this gap that this dissertation seeks to fill. A question of particular interest is the extent to which knowledge construction in the composition class is accomplished by the individual or by the group. Data were collected from four classes of first-year undergraduate students of Science taught by the researcher. The control group, with 31 members, carried out their brainstorming activity in face-to-face mode, while the experimental group, with 27 members, carried out their brainstorming using a synchronous chat facility. The primary data were the chat scripts, face-to-face transcripts and first writing drafts. Analysis of the discussion data was carried out using a genre-based content analysis model deriving from speech act theory (Sinclair and Coulthard, 1975), rhetorical structure theory (Mann & Thompson 1986, 1988), and more recent work on collaborative writing by Plowman (1993), think-aloud protocols (Smagorinsky, 1991) and collaborative computer-based communication by Garrison and Anderson (2003), among others. The model is used to count the frequency of different ideas according to their rhetorical characteristics in the two conditions (face-to-face and synchronous chat), and to determine whether the ideas were generated by individuals or through group discussion. The analysis then looks at the extent to which the ideas were subsequently reproduced in individual drafts. The frequency analyses are complemented by detailed qualitative analysis of the discussion transcripts and the essays of four students, two from each discussion mode. The results of the analysis suggest that collaborative brainstorming is productive in helping students with the generation and development of ideas for their writing. The findings also suggest that there is a strong link between ownership and use of ideas initiated in the discussion. This tendency is stronger in the chat group than in the face-to-face group. Analysis of the discussion transcripts suggests that this difference is a result of more ideas being initiated in the chat group. In addition to these group differences, the analysis shows that discussion in both modes is characterised by a tendency to seek consensus, with very little argument and negotiation of content. The implications of these findings for the use of group discussion in the writing class are discussed

An investigation of the efficacy of face-to-face versus synchronous chat in the generation and development of written drafts in the EAP class

The thesis is a study of the early stages of the writing cycle in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) class at the University of Singapore. The study focuses on a group brainstorming activity prior to the stage of writing the first draft and on the impact of this activity on the students’ first individual drafts. In addition, the study compares two different modes of discussion: face-to-face and online synchronous chat. The comparison is concerned with the interactional patterns of the discussion in the two modes, and with the transfer of content from the discussion to the first written drafts. The use of group brainstorming at the pre-writing stage is a familiar activity in the writing class but researchers have not yet paid much attention to the way in which the ideas generated in the brainstorming activity are transferred to individual written drafts. It is this gap that this dissertation seeks to fill. A question of particular interest is the extent to which knowledge construction in the composition class is accomplished by the individual or by the group. Data were collected from four classes of first-year undergraduate students of Science taught by the researcher. The control group, with 31 members, carried out their brainstorming activity in face-to-face mode, while the experimental group, with 27 members, carried out their brainstorming using a synchronous chat facility. The primary data were the chat scripts, face-to-face transcripts and first writing drafts. Analysis of the discussion data was carried out using a genre-based content analysis model deriving from speech act theory (Sinclair and Coulthard, 1975), rhetorical structure theory (Mann & Thompson 1986, 1988), and more recent work on collaborative writing by Plowman (1993), think-aloud protocols (Smagorinsky, 1991) and collaborative computer-based communication by Garrison and Anderson (2003), among others. The model is used to count the frequency of different ideas according to their rhetorical characteristics in the two conditions (face-to-face and synchronous chat), and to determine whether the ideas were generated by individuals or through group discussion. The analysis then looks at the extent to which the ideas were subsequently reproduced in individual drafts. The frequency analyses are complemented by detailed qualitative analysis of the discussion transcripts and the essays of four students, two from each discussion mode. The results of the analysis suggest that collaborative brainstorming is productive in helping students with the generation and development of ideas for their writing. The findings also suggest that there is a strong link between ownership and use of ideas initiated in the discussion. This tendency is stronger in the chat group than in the face-to-face group. Analysis of the discussion transcripts suggests that this difference is a result of more ideas being initiated in the chat group. In addition to these group differences, the analysis shows that discussion in both modes is characterised by a tendency to seek consensus, with very little argument and negotiation of content. The implications of these findings for the use of group discussion in the writing class are discussed.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Reference model for learning and educational methods for e-learning, knowledgemanagement and competencemanagement

In dieser Arbeit wurden Methoden aus den Bereichen E-Learning und Wissensmanagement anhand des Referenzmodells nach didaktischen Anforderungen, Wissens- und Managementprozessen kategorisiert, so dass sie sich für einen didaktischen Einsatz in Schule, Lehre, Aus- und Weiterbildung und zum persönlichen Wissensmanagement eignen. Des Weiteren wurden jeder Lehr-, Lern- und Wissensmethode spezifische Kompetenzen von Lehrenden und Lernenden zugeordnet, die bei Lernenden während der Anwendung dieser Methode entstehen können und beim Lehrenden zur erfolgreichen Anwendung vorhanden sein sollten. Die Herausforderung dieser Arbeit bestand somit auch darin, alle Komponenten von gezielten Lehr-, Lern- und Wissensprozessen und dem Aufbau von Kompetenzen in einem Referenzmodell für Bildungsmethoden zu berücksichtigen. Anhand des entwickelten Anwendungsmodells wird schließlich jede einzelne Methode beschrieben und kann im konkreten Einsatz auf ihre Tauglichkeit überprüft werden