Interactive Pathway Design for Learning through Agent and Library Augmented Shared Knowledge Areas (ALASKA) Eric Hamilton Hiroshima University US Air Force Academy PerEL05 Workshop, Kauai

PerEL05 Japan …

PerEL05 The “SlateMate” Vision

PerEL05 USAFA project on collaboration systems “What you see is what I see” Powerful model for classroom interaction In our current research, uses Smart SynchronEyes and Acer TabletPCs

PerEL05 Engagement: a simple pathway Disciplinary content needs to fall within a “proximal development zone” for engagement to be meaningful and the learners must have sufficient motivation to focus their attention. These are limiting factors. Here is a simple taxonomy

PerEL05 Asking learners what they are doing Level Engagement Level Description Level 1 What I am doing has nothing directly to do with the subject matter learning and it is unrelated to the teacher's lesson. Level 2 What I am doing has nothing to do with subject matter learning but is related to the teacher's lesson, or is something I need to do for the lesson. Level 3 What I am doing is related to the subject matter and to the specific material for the class, but I am not learning very much from it because the work is too trivial or easy, or else it is too hard. Level 4 What I am doing is in the subject area and it is related to the lesson, and the level of difficulty is just about right for me, but I am really not interested and am not very engaged in it. Level 5 What I am doing is in the subject matter and it is related to the lesson, and the level of difficulty is just about right for me, and I am working at it and am really engaged in it. Other(How would you define?)

PerEL05 Self-Reporting of Learner Engagement in Third Year Modeling and Differential Equation Course n Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Other Freshman Class Treatment Pre Treatment Post Change Control Pre Control Post Change Table 2:

PerEL05 ALASKA ALASKA: Agent and Library Augmented Shared Knowledge Areas, integrates three technologies: shared collaborative spaces, animated agents, and digital libraries Question: Can networks that endow and engage virtual humans help propel richer, deeper and more meaningful interaction between real humans? Hope to have a prototype this year, looking for potential test sites. “Miriam scenario” gives the clearest vision for what we are trying to do in it, and shows the 3D metaphor most clearly.

PerEL05 ALASKA Schematic

PerEL05 Initial Goals Build the ALASKA Platform Pairwise integration of the platform elements Collaborative Spaces Pedagogical Agents Digital Libraries Embed Domain Expertise Embed Platform Extensibility To enable a research agenda

PerEL05 Research Questions And Extended Research Agenda Learning Effects Extensibility and scalability “Interactional bandwidth” Shifting task load over the network to increase human performance Changing the teacher’s role

PerEL05 Learning Flow Often studied in context of creativity or occupational performance “Optimal performance under challenging circumstances” - Csikszentmihalyi Engagement, enjoyment, loss of sense of time May also be viewed through a learning lens: can learners experience classroom learning as “flow” Impossible with chronic distractions Can ALASKA and other approaches routinely contribute to a group flow concept?