scholarly journals Using String Metrics to Improve the Design of Virtual Conversational Characters: Behavior Simulator Development Study

10.2196/15349 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e15349
Author(s):  
Santiago García-Carbajal ◽  
María Pipa-Muniz ◽  
Jose Luis Múgica
Keyword(s):  
Speech Therapy ◽  
Directed Graphs ◽  
Modular Architecture ◽  
Waiting Room ◽  
Current State ◽  
Hospital Environments ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Complex Training ◽  
Real Person ◽  
Training Exercises

Background An emergency waiting room is a place where conflicts often arise. Nervous relatives in a hostile, unknown environment force security and medical staff to be ready to deal with some awkward situations. Additionally, it has been said that the medical interview is the first diagnostic and therapeutic tool, involving both intellectual and emotional skills on the part of the doctor. At the same time, it seems that there is something mysterious about interviewing that cannot be formalized or taught. In this context, virtual conversational characters (VCCs) are progressively present in most e-learning environments. Objective In this study, we propose and develop a modular architecture for a VCC-based behavior simulator to be used as a tool for conflict avoidance training. Our behavior simulators are now being used in hospital environments, where training exercises must be easily designed and tested. Methods We define training exercises as labeled, directed graphs that help an instructor in the design of complex training situations. In order to increase the perception of talking to a real person, the simulator must deal with a huge number of sentences that a VCC must understand and react to. These sentences are grouped into sets identified with a common label. Labels are then used to trigger changes in the active node of the graph that encodes the current state of the training exercise. As a consequence, we need to be able to map every sentence said by the human user into the set it belongs to, in a fast and robust way. In this work, we discuss two different existing string metrics, and compare them to one that we use to assess a designed exercise. Results Based on the similarities found between different sets, the proposed metric provided valuable information about ill-defined exercises. We also described the environment in which our programs are being used and illustrated it with an example. Conclusions Initially designed as a tool for training emergency room staff, our software could be of use in many other areas within the same environment. We are currently exploring the possibility of using it in speech therapy situations.

scholarly journals "Virtual Conversational Character Design for a Behavior simulator in Hospital Environments" (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santiago García Carbajal ◽  
María Pipa ◽  
José Luis Múgica
Keyword(s):  
Speech Therapy ◽  
Directed Graphs ◽  
Modular Architecture ◽  
Waiting Room ◽  
Hospital Environments ◽  
Character Design ◽  
E Learning ◽  
The One ◽  
Real Person ◽  
Training Exercises

UNSTRUCTURED Emergency waiting room is a place where conflicts raise quite often. Nervous relatives in a hostile, unknown environment force security and medical staff to be ready to deal with some awkward situations. Additionally, it’s been said that the medical interview is the first diagnostic and therapeutic tool, involving both intellectual and emotional skills on the practicing physician’s side. At the same time, seems that there is something mysterious about interviewing that cannot be formalized or taught. In this context, Virtual Conversational Characters (VCCs) are progressively present in most e-learning environments. Here we propose and develop a modular architecture for a VCC based Behavior Simulator to be used as a tool for Conflict Avoidance Training. Our behavior simulators are now being used in hospital environments, where Training Exercises must be easily designed and tested. We define Training Exercises as labeled, directed graphs that help an instructor in the design of complex Training Situations. In order to increase the perception of talking to a real person, the simulator must deal with a huge number of sentences that a VCC must understand and react to. These sentences are grouped into sets identified with a common label. Labels are then used to trigger changes in the active node of the graph that encodes the current state of the Training Exercise. As a consequence, we need to be able to map every sentence said by the human user into the set it belongs to, doing it in a fast and robust way. In this work we discuss two different existent String Metrics, and compare them to the one we finally use to assess a designed exercise. Based on the similarities found between different sets, the proposed metric gives us valuable information about ill-defined exercises. We also describe the environment in which our programs are being used, and illustrate it with an example. Initially designed as a tool for the training of the emergency room staff, our software could be of help in many other areas inside the same environment. We are currently exploring the possibility of using it in speech therapy situations

E-Learning-Based Speech Therapy: A Web Application for Speech Training

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilian J. Beijer ◽  
Toni C.M. Rietveld ◽  
Marijn M.A. van Beers ◽  
Robert M.L. Slangen ◽  
Henk van den Heuvel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Web Application ◽  
Speech Therapy ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Speech Training

What Library 2.0 has taught libraries in Taiwan about e-learning

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1121-1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tien-Chi Huang
Keyword(s):  
Educational Value ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Feedback Model ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Current State ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
The Status ◽  
Library Development ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose – This paper aims to review the four elements of Library 2.0, which represents a major innovation, and adopts several pedagogical concepts to investigate other innovations libraries in Taiwan could implement to become ideal libraries. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents an overview of the essential principles of Library 2.0 and examines the current state of libraries in Taiwan. The authors then present a reciprocal feedback model of Library 2.0+. Findings – A Library 2.0+ model and a concept map of the mutualism between e-learning education and Library 2.0+ were proposed to diminish the gap between the status quo and Library 2.0. Two recommendations are provided: to develop a library learning platform to maximize the education value of the library, and to regard library development as part of the overall community’s development. Users can access library resources anytime/anywhere by visiting the library learning platform without visiting the library. Allowing an individual approach is necessary to realize the social educational value of the library. Moreover, a Library 2.0 library engages more in community development and invites participation with participation in community first. Universities in the community would be good technology partners when developing a Library 2.0 library. Originality/value – Although there has been extensive research of library development in view of Library 2.0, such a topic has never been explored with an educational perspective, especially an e-learning perspective. Given that the definition of Library 2.0 is abstract and fairly broad, the authors take the view of an e-learning platform to make Library 2.0 more figurative. Moreover, through interdisciplinary exploration, concrete suggestions regarding library development are provided to librarians, especially those with similar conditions as those in Taiwan.

scholarly journals Students and young university staff development in the context of e-learning and the fourth industrial revolution

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-54
Author(s):  
Le Doan Minh Duc ◽  
Nguyen Hoang Tien ◽  
Nguyen Thi Hoang Yen
Keyword(s):  
Staff Development ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
University Staff ◽  
International Affair ◽  
Education Management ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Current State ◽  
Technology In Teaching ◽  
E Learning

This article aims at presenting the current state of students’ capacity for learning and competencies of young staff members in Vietnamese universities. Then, we imply some orientations to improve students’ capacity for learning and young lecturers’ capacity for teaching in the 4th industrial revolution such as: Application of technology in teaching - education management and international affair.

scholarly journals Analysis of the specific common competences of the Degree Courses in Speech Therapy and on the ability to apply in the didactic systems

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paterniti Maria Rosa ◽  
Bua Alberto ◽  
La Tona Federico ◽  
Vitale Chiara
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Healthcare Professional ◽  
Speech Therapy ◽  
Labor Law ◽  
Health Professions ◽  
Clinical Activity ◽  
Current State ◽  
Corporate Organization ◽  
Training Courses

Law 11 January 2018 n. 3 places the attention of the Health Professions on the specific common skills, which must be evident in the didactic systems to protect the Profession. The purpose of this work is to identify which skills are always present among the training objectives of the Degree Courses in Speech Therapy, and which instead become "specific" for our profession. The data analysis was conducted on 27 Degree Courses in Speech Therapy present in Italy, using the portal "Universitaly" and evaluating the SUA cards of the various Degree Courses. The analysis of the data revealed that: basic skills were insufficient for the areas of labor law and corporate organization; transversal skills are well defined and almost always present; the transversal technical-professional skills appeared insufficient for the areas of management and research. The results are useful in order to standardize the framework of the speech therapist's skills. The advantage of having specific well-defined and above all homogeneous skills between the various universities, as well as being an essential tool for clinical activity, is a demonstration of a suitable conduct to protect both the healthcare professional and the patient. In light of what emerged from the results of this study, it is hoped that the analysis carried out can be a tool to allow the universities concerned to follow up on the current state of the CDL in speech therapy, so as to guarantee common and homogeneous training courses throughout the National territory.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Features and Platforms

2018 ◽  
pp. 83-99
Author(s):  
Abhishek Kumar ◽  
Shweta Nishad Brahmbhatt
Keyword(s):  
Online Courses ◽  
Massive Open Online Courses ◽  
Massive Open Online ◽  
Current State ◽  
The World ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Definition Of

This chapter aims to provide an up-to-date snapshot of the current state of application called MOOCs, which are one of the subset of e-Learning. MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) provide a new way of learning, which is open, participatory, distributed and lifelong. Various premier universities of the world are now offering courses in the form of MOOCs. The MHRD, Government of India has also started a MOOCs platform called SWAYAM. This chapter covers the definition of MOOCs, its features and different MOOC platforms being used for e-learning i.e. edX, Coursera, SWAYAM, Udacity.

A Highly Scalable, Modular Architecture for Computer Aided Assessment e-Learning Systems

2011 ◽  
pp. 45-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Gierlowski ◽  
Krzysztof Nowicki
Keyword(s):  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Learning Systems ◽  
Skill Assessment ◽  
Knowledge Assessment ◽  
Great Success ◽  
Production Environment ◽  
Modular Architecture ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Assessment Tasks ◽  
E Learning

In this chapter, the authors propose a novel e-learning system, dedicated strictly to knowledge assessment tasks. In its functioning it utilizes web-based technologies, but its design differs radically from currently popular e-learning solutions which rely mostly on thin-client architecture. The authors’ research proved that such architecture, while well suited for didactic content distribution systems is ill-suited for knowledge assessment products. In their design, they employed loosely-tied distributed system architecture, strict modularity, test and simulation-based knowledge and skill assessment and an our original communications package called Communication Abstraction Layer (ComAL), specifically designed to support communication functions of e-learning systems in diverse network conditions (including offline environment and content aware networks).The system was tested in production environment on Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics, Technical University of Gdansk with great success, reducing staff workload and increasing efficiency of didactic process. The tests also showed system’s versatility in classroom, remote and blended learning environments.

From Memorable to Transformative E-Learning Experiences

2010 ◽  
pp. 402-421
Author(s):  
Pearl Chen
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Effective Practices ◽  
Experience Design ◽  
Current State ◽  
Learning Contexts ◽  
E Learning

This chapter reviews the current state of theory and practice of experience design and suggests that the notion of experience should be regarded as an essential and unifying theme in guiding a broader perspective of design and study of e-learning. Underlying this chapter is a view that suggests a shift from designing learning environments to “staging” learning experiences. By looking at learning through the prism of experience design, we may begin to discover ways to create compelling, memorable, and transformative e-learning experiences. Some existing models and effective practices in education are considered as viable models for adapting experience design to e-learning contexts. Furthermore, this chapter identifies some converging areas of research from the fields of experience design and education, so as not to reinvent the wheel but to expand our knowledge on designing quality e-learning experiences that are engaging and valued by people.

Using Multimedia and Virtual Reality for Web-Based Collaborative Learning on Multiple Platforms

2011 ◽  
pp. 172-203
Author(s):  
Gavin McArdle ◽  
Teresa Monahan ◽  
Michela Bertolotto
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Synchronous Communication ◽  
Web Based ◽  
3 Dimensional ◽  
Learning Content ◽  
Current State ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Communication Methods

Since the advent of the Internet, educators have realised its potential as a medium for teaching. The term e-learning has been introduced to describe this Internet-based education. Although e-learning applications are popular, much research is now underway to improve the features they provide. For example, the addition of synchronous communication methods and multimedia is being studied. With the introduction of wireless networks, mobile devices are also being investigated as a medium to present learning content. Currently, the use of 3-dimensional (3D) graphics is being explored for creating virtual learning environments online. Virtual reality (VR) is already being used in multiple disciplines for teaching various tasks. This chapter focuses on describing some VR systems, and also discusses the current state of e-learning on mobile devices. We also present the VR learning environment that we have developed, incorporating many of the techniques mentioned above for both desktop and mobile devices.

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