enhancing learning experiences through context-aware collaborative services: software architecture...
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Enhancing Learning Experiences through Context-Aware Collaborative Services: Software
Architecture and Prototype System
Nikolaos Dimakis, Lazaros Polymenakos and John SoldatosAthens Information Technology
19,5 Km Markopoulou Ave.Peania, GR 19002+30 2106682759
e-mail: {ndim, lcp, jsol}@ait.edu.grhttp://www.ait.gr/research/RG1/overview.asp
Introduction
• Introduction / Motivation
• Software Architecture for e-learning– Sensors and Actuators– Context-Acquisition– Service tier
• The `Memory Jog’ Service– Applicable to e-learning
• Evaluation results
Introduction
• Introduction / Motivation
• Software Architecture for e-learning– Sensors and Actuators– Context-Acquisition– Service tier
• The `Memory Jog’ Service– Applicable to e-learning
• Evaluation results
Pervasive-Ubiquitous Computing Vision• Vision:
– Transform physical spaces into computationally active and intelligent environments
– Human-Centric services offered transparently regardless of time and end-users location
• Technology Trends - Enablers:– Broadband/ Wireless Networks – Web Services - Top Layer
Interoperability– PDA’s, Mobile Phones– Cheap Multi-Purpose Sensors– Recognition Algorithms– Adaptivity & User Profiling
Technologies
Main application areas
• Smart house
• Smart office
• Health care - telemedicine
• Ambient assisted living
• Security
• E-learning
Major Challenges
• High Distribution• Context-Awareness• Transparency• Heterogeneity
– Software / Hardware– Sensors, Terminals, Devices
• Mobility• Personalization• Autonomy• Dynamism
CHIL – Computers in the Human Interaction Loop
• EU FP6 Integrated Project (IP 506909) • Coordinators: Universität Karlsruhe
(TH) Fraunhofer Institute IITB• Duration: 36 months• Total Project costs: Over 24M€• Goal: Create environments in which
computers serve humans who focus on interacting with other humans as opposed to having to attend to and being preoccupied with the machines themselves
• Key Research Areas:– Perceptual Technologies– Human-Centric Pervasive
Services– Software Infrastructure
… a little more technical
• Introduction / Motivation
• Software Architecture for e-learning– Sensors and Actuators– Context-Acquisition– Service tier
• The `Memory Jog’ Service– Applicable to e-learning
• Evaluation results
Software Architecture
• 3 tier approach– Sensors and Actuators tier
• Cameras, microphones, Targeted Audio, Projectors, Displays, etc.
– Context-Acquisition tier• Body Tracker, Face Identification, Audio Source
Localization, Speech Activity Detection, etc.
– Service tier• JADE Agent Framework.
Context-awareness
• Dey & Abowd (1999)– Context is: “any information that can be used to
characterise the situation of an entity, where an entity can be a person, place, physical or computational object”
• Context-awareness human-centric ubiquitous computing
• “Smart Learning Spaces” a realization of the ubiquitous computing paradigm
Non-obtrusive interaction
• Sensors– Cameras– Microphones– No wearable computers, no RFID tags
Context-Acquisition tier
• a.k.a. Perceptual Components tier.
• Exploits sensor signals to extract elementary context.– Locations of people– Identities of people– Speaker location
• Fusion of PCs Situation Recognition
Examples
Situation Model for a lecture
Service tier
• Following the JADE Framework for distributed agents.
• Each service extends ServiceAgent– Basic functionalities are ensured: Communication,
Message extraction, Database Querying etc.• Situation modeling
– Enables situation recognition, situation model tracking and event notification
• Sensor and actuator control• KnowledgeBase and Database interfacing.• Each user is managed by PersonalAgent
Agent-hierarchy
Knowledge Base
• Directory mechanism, leveraging a knowledge base– “yellow pages” for students, courses, research etc
• Registration repository for existing components
• “Smart queries”– “Which camera faces the door?”
Specialized Middleware
• Glue two conceptually different ends together – IBM’s CHILiX– NIST SmartFlow
• Significantly boost distribution
Architectural snapshot
… The Memory Jog service
• Introduction / Motivation
• Software Architecture for e-learning– Sensors and Actuators– Context-Acquisition– Service tier
• The `Memory Jog’ Service– Applicable to e-learning
• Evaluation results
The Memory Jog
• A lecture, meeting support service. It provides:– Pertinent information to participants– Interfacing with Databases for past event querying– Preferred features, such as:
• Agenda tracking
• Intelligent Video Recording
• Handles mobile participants (PDAs)
The Memory Jog (cont.)
• It exploits:– The whole range of the sensors and actuators– All registered Perceptual Components– Databases for information retrieval and
Knowledgebases for high level reasoning• Both are controlled by specialized agent-members of
the service-tier.
The Memory Jog (cont..)
• It looks like:
Memory Jog features for e-learning
• The Memory Jog features:– Intelligent Video Recording.– Contextual database search.– Automated notification using Targeted Audio.– Etc.
Intelligent Video Recording
Results
• Introduction / Motivation
• Software Architecture for e-learning– Sensors and Actuators– Context-Acquisition– Service tier
• The `Memory Jog’ Service– Applicable to e-learning
• Evaluation results
Focus Groups Evaluation
• 25 people participated– Students
– Engineers
– Management Personnel
– Faculty
Feature Approval Percent
Intelligent Recording 100%Agenda tracking 56%What happened while I was away?
72%
Participants Biography 68%Search past events 84%
AIT’s Smart Learning Space
The End
• Questions?