1. Quiz 1.What is the purpose of the SLALOM model? (a) Generate errors (b) Provide user feedback (c) Captures user proficiency in grammatical structures (d) The actual grammar parser 2.Name three levels of knowledge in the user model? (a) Acquired, ZPD, Unacquired (b) Previous, Current, Future (c) Irregular, Standard, Knowledgeable (d) Beginner, Proficient, Expert

2. Quiz 3.Name the two modules in the ICICLE System. (a) Tutoring Session Module and User Interface Module (b) Error Identification Module and Response Generation Module (c) User Module and System Module (d) Gradual Learning Module and Frequency of Practicing Module 4.What is the purpose of the ICICLE system? (a) Improving English literacy and ASL skills for all students (b) Improving English literacy skills for hearing students (c) Improving ASL skills for deaf students (d) Improving English literacy skills in deaf students

3. An Intelligent Tutoring System for Deaf Learners of Written English Lisa N. Michaud, Kathleen F. McCoy, Christopher A. Pennington Presented by Allan Spale – EECS 578

4. Introduction Improve English literacy skills of deaf students who primarily use ASL –ASL (American Sign Language)…a foreign language –Deaf literacy in English impacts a student in every facet of education –Teach students English using a strategy called “English as a Second Language”

5. Signing and Education Lipreading: a method for pre-lingually deaf children to acquire English –Usually not successful, only 40% of English phonemes are visible Deaf children must learn English in school while learning to read and write –“…average deaf high school graduate has only a fourth grade reading ability.”

6. Methods of Communication with Deaf Students in School Spoken English –Requires students to use “lipreading” for acquiring language communication –Not effective, most students do not have access to usable linguistic input

7. Methods of Communication with Deaf Students in School Manually Coded English (MCE) –Codes used to visualize the structure of words and sentences of English –A morpheme in English has a sign –Signed languages are still more efficient than MCE in communicating –People who speak and sign simultaneously omit many morphemes in their signing

8. Deaf Students: Bi-Lingual and Bi-Cultural English is taught as a second language –“[C]hildren in bilingual programs have better comprehension of spoken English than do those in immersion [programs].” System philosophy –Include similarities and differences with English and ASL –Eventually provide instructional feedback in ASL to supplement English explanations

9. ICICLE System Overview ICICLE is an acronym for Interactive Computer Identification and Correction of Language Errors Two modules –Error identification –Response generation

10. ICICLE System Overview Tutorial Instruction –User submits written material –System responds with list of errors Only reports relevant errors that can be tutored –System guides the user through a review for improving aspects of the user’s writing –User can make changes and request another analysis

11. ICICLE System Design Goals Computer systems are suitable for learning using post-performance review –Doing intensive tasks restricts learning during their execution “[S]atisfy the deaf learner’s need for understandable English input” –Most written material read by deaf students comes from academic texts –Use English grammatical structures that the user is trying to utilize in writing

12. ICICLE System Design Goals Provide feedback without a human teacher –Students do not have to “feel bad” being corrected by a teacher –Might encourage students to write more

13. ICICLE System Diagram

14. Current Implementation Error Recognition is the focus Follows a “user input, system response model” –System acquires user text –User requests analysis –System highlights errors in sentences –User click on a highlighted sentence returns static error explanation –User can resubmit text for another analysis

15. Grammar Coverage Grammar used is English-based with error productions –Error productions allow errors to be flagged –Uses COMLEX Syntax 2.2 lexicon –Handles many parts of speech and their alternate forms –Has grammar recognition limitations –New grammar system from C. P. Rose relaxes some grammar requirements (reducing error rules)

16. User Interface Designed using Tcl/Tk Layout structure –Text entry area –Analysis controls –Highlighting of errors –“Fix-it” window

17. User Interface Example

18. Toward Modeling the User Necessary to model user’s knowledge –User history of system use –User knowledge of English grammar Solves some problems –Choosing appropriate grammar parses –Provide relevant feedback to the user

19. Three Levels of Knowledge Acquired –User can correctly use these English grammar structures and rules Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) –User is in the process of acquiring these English grammar structures and rules Unacquired –User cannot correctly use these English grammar structures and rules

20. SLALOM Model SLALOM is an acronym for “Steps of Language Acquisition in a Layered Organization Model” Used to separate English into “a set of feature hierarchies” –Each hierarchy contains an ordered list of items in their acquisition order –Acquisition sequence is used based on previous language studies

21. The SLALOM Model First use involves evaluation of writing –SLALOM tags in the feature hierarchies will be labeled as acquired, ZPD, and unacquired Subsequent uses will update the tags –Typically, one would expect ZPD items to become acquired over time

22. SLALOM Diagram

23. Problems Using the SLALOM Model and Their Solutions Initial evaluation does not use SLALOM tags –Separate evaluation pass with evaluation not directly related to SLALOM Concern with difficulties for establishing and maintaining the user model –Large number of user writings –SLALOM captures syntactic content from user writings

24. Problems Using the SLALOM Model and Their Solutions Inaccurate feedback from user errors –Include statistical confidence measures into system My solution –Implement a neural network system into parsing methods and writing analysis

25. Reasoning on Partial Evidence ICICLE will not have complete information from SLALOM when evaluating user competency General learner profile will supplement the specific learner “Unique” situations will rely on a general profile, while system decisions rely on specific learner

26. Developing the User Model SLALOM feature relationships will be established based on –Research from second language acquisition –Human evaluations of writing samples from a studied learner population

27. Generating a Response Error Identification system component analyzes text and produces error list Text and error list sent to the Response Generator Response Generator system component supplies tutorial feedback

28. Anatomy of a Response Content –Factual knowledge of the response to help the student to improve some part of his/her writing style –Influenced by Error annotations Error source “[I]nformation about the languages involved“ “[I]nformation from the acquisition model”

29. Anatomy of a Response Method –Manner of content organization and creation for the user –Depends on… * The kind of information available in the language model * Kind of information available about various English constructs involved in the error * Receptivity of the student to various kinds of information in the correction * Indicates material directly quoted from the paper

30. Anatomy of a Response Form –Utilizing appropriate background knowledge –“[Structures] information to ensure that the appropriate rhetorical resources are used in realizing the chosen method” History –“[M]aking the response contextually aware by [referring to] earlier tutorial information and [current user knowledge]”

31. Anatomy of a Response Manner –“[S]tyle of the actual language employed in realization of the response as actual English text” –Depends on… Language acquisition level of the user Current language constructs the user is attempting to acquire

32. Multimodal Response Present some tutorial information in a format closer the user’s “native language” –Improve the user’s knowledge acquisition –Reduce user’s stress level in using the system Provision of a “signing agent”

33. Issues with a Signing Agent Signing agent compensates for a missing perception channel Times for using the signing agent Should not be added to the system without studying how to integrate it appropriately into the system

34. Conclusion Problem of literacy of deaf students –Provide a computerized tutorial tool for learning English grammar Gives feedback on user’s grammatical errors relevant to the user’s knowledge domain Tracks the students acquisition of grammatical rules and constructs

35. Conclusion The future language tutorial system components –“[U]nique user language model” –“[F]lexible and robust tutorial planning” –“[M]ultimodal capabilities via the inclusion of an animated signing agent”

36. Questions and Comments