Learning to execute or ask clarification questions

Collaborative tasks are ubiquitous activities where a form of communication is required in order to reach a joint goal. Collaborative building is one of such tasks. We wish to develop an intelligent builder agent in a simulated building environment (Minecraft) that can build whatever users wish to build by just talking to the agent. In order to achieve this goal, such agents need to be able to take the initiative by asking clarification questions when further information is needed. Existing works on Minecraft Corpus Dataset only learn to execute instructions neglecting the importance of asking for clarifications. In this paper, we extend the Minecraft Corpus Dataset by annotating all builder utterances into eight types, including clarification questions, and propose a new builder agent model capable of determining when to ask or execute instructions. Experimental results show that our model achieves state-of-the-art performance on the collaborative building task with a substantial improvement. We also define two new tasks, the learning to ask task and the joint learning task. The latter consists of solving both collaborating building and learning to ask tasks jointly

Outcomes of Incorporating Motivational Interviewing into Basic Counselor Skills Training

Counselor skill training involves learning to execute techniques and principles that facilitate client change. Incorporating motivational interviewing can provide a framework that emphasizes humanism in addition to preparing students to assist clients who are ambivalent about change or “resistant.” In this study, we investigated the degree of MI competency achieved by students when MI was integrated into a counseling skills course. We then examined how MI competency was maintained over time. Findings showed that students achieved competency in executing the MI spirit, and this was largely maintained following subsequent coursework and clinical experiences. Implications include the value of incorporating MI training in a counseling skills course and the need for additional training in MI to maintain gains in competency

Outcomes of Incorporating Motivational Interviewing into Basic Counselor Skills Training

Counselor skill training involves learning to execute techniques and principles that facilitate client change. Incorporating motivational interviewing can provide a framework that emphasizes humanism in addition to preparing students to assist clients who are ambivalent about change or “resistant.” In this study, we investigated the degree of MI competency achieved by students when MI was integrated into a counseling skills course. We then examined how MI competency was maintained over time. Findings showed that students achieved competency in executing the MI spirit, and this was largely maintained following subsequent coursework and clinical experiences. Implications include the value of incorporating MI training in a counseling skills course and the need for additional training in MI to maintain gains in competency