OpenSimulator Community Conference 2013, 8th September 2013

"Activity in Context" - Planning to Keep Learners 'in the Zone' for
Scenario-based Mixed-Initiative Training in Virtual Worlds

Austin Tate, AIAI, Informatics, University of Edinburgh


ABSTRACT

Traditional education has often been seen as teacher led, with a
predefined body of knowledge in some domain to be conveyed via
instruction. But some educators advocate a student driven approach of
knowledge construction through experience of the world initiated by
exploration. A mixed-initiative approach potentially can retain the
best of both forms of education. It means that the various agents can
take the lead or initiative in an interaction at appropriate times, in
contrast to purely tutor-guided learning or student discovery-based
learning.

This paper explores how scenario-based training and learning works,
and what is the most effective way to support learners in such a
context. It seeks to establish a number of elements or influences
involved in supporting mixed-initiative scenario-based training and
relate these to principles of game-based learning and experience
gained in that field.

A number of threads have been brought together in this work:

* to study the cognitive psychological foundations for socially
  situated learning;

* to identify effective learning methods relevant to mixed-initiative
  interaction between agents;

* to describe the relationship between cognitive psychological
  activity models and an AI research-informed conceptual model of
  activity;

* to provide a methodology for how the concepts identified could be
  utilised in a training-orientated "I-Zone" supported by intelligent
  systems technology a virtual space for intelligent scenario-based
  learning; and

* to create, document and demonstrate a resource base for
  experimentation and potential re-use on projects in this area.

This approach takes the form of providing a conceptualisation,
describing a methodology and providing a realisation of a virtual
space to support scenario-based training in a community context. The
work has made available a coherent set of resources and related
readings which could form the basis for future collaborative research
and student projects. It provides useful inputs to continuing
intelligent systems and collaboration focused research on "I-Rooms" -
"Virtual Spaces for Intelligent Interaction" - with an emphasis on
mixed-initiative support to scenario-based training for emergency
responders.