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Architecture for an Intelligent 3-D Practice Environment

This presentation describes an architecture developed for intelligent practice environments. An intelligent practice environment offers learning by doing enhanced with dynamic advice and feedback from a Knowledge-Based-System (KBS). An architecture implementation is described for intelligent 3-dimensional (3-D) practice environments developed using the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), JAVA, and an expert system. A VRML enabled web browser provides an interactive 3-D world where the user can learn by discovery and by doing. Integrating an expert system with a practice environment provides dynamic advice and feedback so the user can analyze his actions in the 3-D VRML world. The 3-D architecture implementation is described using components developed for mechanical skills training.

EDITLIB Paper

Sequence Learning with Intelligent 3-D Practice Environments

This paper describes our experiences with sequence learning activities for intelligent 3-D practice environments. An intelligent practice environment offers learning by doing and learning by discovery in a realistic practice situation. A Knowledge-Based-System (KBS) improves learning opportunities with dynamic advice and feedback. An expert system monitors user interactions to provide dynamic advice for the expected sequence of user activities and updates objects in the 3-D world for the current state in the sequence. A prototype implementation is described for intelligent 3-dimensional (3-D) practice environments developed using a web browser, the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), JAVA, and an expert system. The VRML enabled web browser provides an interactive 3-D world where the user can learn and practice sequential tasks.

MITRE Copy of Paper

Implementing Intelligent 3-D Web-Based-Training Solutions

This paper describes an approach to implementing web-based-training (WBT) environments using the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) and Java. A VRML enabled web browser provides an interactive 3-dimensional (3-D) world where the user can learn by discovery and by doing. A Java expert system adds the ability for the practice environment to use reasoning to coach and guide the learning process. Integrating an expert system with a VRML world provides dynamic assessment and coaching so the user can analyze his actions in the 3-D VRML world. A mechanical skills training example is used to illustrate these concepts. Background This paper describes a work in-progress. Our past research led to the implementation of structured 3-D practice environments that provided a training and problem-solving environment by integrating 3-D animations with multimedia Computer Based Training (CBT) techniques. We extended the problem solving environments into 3-D virtual worlds where the user could freely explore and learn by discovery. This extension enabled us to identify many of the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies currently available. We have documented these lessons learned in other papers. This paper focuses on implementing practice environments that can take advantage of the capabilities offered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies such as expert systems.

MITRE Copy of Paper

Web Based Practice Environments to Teach Mechanical Skills

This paper demonstrates 3-Dimensional (3-D) practice environments developed to teach mechanical skills. The instructional strategy integrates multimedia Computer-Based-Training (CBT) with a structured 3-D practice environment and a virtual 3-D practice environment. The entire multi-layered application can be delivered via Web browsers on a corporate local area network (LAN) or on the Internet. The multimedia CBT and structured 3-D practice environment were implemented for traditional CBT delivery and were converted to Web delivery. The virtual practice environment is a desktop Virtual Reality 3-D space that was implemented with the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) and Java for Web delivery. Realism is added to the multimedia CBT and practice environments by using 3-D Computer Aided Design (CAD) models as the source for images, animations, and user-controlled objects.

IMEJ Paper

3-Dimensional practice environments for mechanical skills training

This paper describes 3-Dimensional (3-D) practice environments developed to teach mechanical skills. Practice is extremely important for the development of mechanical skills. The proposed instructional strategy integrates multimedia Computer-Based-Training (CBT) with a structured 3-D practice environment and a virtual 3-D practice environment. Multimedia CBT techniques are used to teach basic concepts, demonstrate problem solving approaches, and demonstrate performing corrective actions for the technician. Once the technician has learned a concept with multimedia CBT, he practices solving related problems in the structured 3-D practice environment. After the technician has mastered problem solving in the structured practice environment, he enters the virtual 3-D practice environment to practice more realistic and advanced mechanical skills. The primary difference between these two practice environments is the amount of freedom the technician has to interact with and explore the objects in the environment. The structured practice environment guides the technician during problem solving activities whereas the virtual environment is a free, exploratory environment with limited guidance. The objects in the virtual practice environment have more realistic and dynamic behaviors.

EDTech Paper

Integrating VRML and Java to Build Practice Environments

This presentation will describe how to create meaningful 3-D web-based practice environments using JAVA and the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). VRML provides an interactive 3-dimensional (3-D) world where the user can learn by discovery and by doing. JAVA adds the ability for a practice environment to coach and guide the learning process. Integrating JAVA with VRML adds the power of dynamic assessment, coaching, and feedback so the user can understand and analyze his actions in the 3-D VRML world. A mechanical skills training example is used to illustrate the 3-D practice environment.

WebNet Paper

Improving Perceptual Skills with Interactive 3-D VRML Scenes

Describes techniques developed to improve the perceptual skills of maintenance technicians who align shafts on rotating equipment. A 3-D practice environment composed of animated mechanical components and tools was enhanced with 3-D VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) scenes.

JIID Paper

Intelligent Systems and Ada 95

Copy of Paper

Experiences with discovery metadata

The Department of Defense (DoD) Data Strategy, DoD 8320.2-G, 'Guidance for Implementing Net-Centric Data Sharing', defines a vision for data sharing where all data will be made visible, accessible and understandable as it is created. This vision caused a paradigm shift to 'post before processing' allowing authorised users and applications to discover data without waiting for the traditional 'process, exploit and disseminate' activities to complete. Discovery metadata is used to define the key concepts needed for targeted discovery activities. Discovery metadata enables users and applications to quickly identify the existence of needed data, gain access to data and understand the meaning of data. Discovery catalogues store and organise discovery metadata for use by discovery services and search engines used in the discovery process. This paper describes the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) experiences in the pursuit of discovery metadata.

International Journal of Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies Paper

Artificial Intelligence Working Group

Typically, AI languages are higher-level than more traditional languages for embedded systems such as Ada, but they are lacking in several areas. Currently, LISP (and its many derivatives) is the language of choice among DoD Artificial Intelligence implementers, its continued use may retard the expected benefits and widesp read use of Ada.

The purpose of this working group is to respond to the issues brought about by the interaction between Artificial Intelligence and Ada. It encompasses primarily the use of the Ada language and software engineering approaches to the development of AI systems to identify specific requirements from AI community and collect and disseminate information in the subject area, such as:

•lessons learned (technical reports) •available applications (survey reports) •engineering technology (catalogue of components and guidelines of approaches) •workshops and tutorials published proceedings, and special reports in SIGAda's newsletter.

ACM AIWG

ACM AIWG 1992 Workshop Proceedings

MITRE Technology in Education English Writing Lab

This paper is the design review material for the second MITRE technology in Education (TIE) project in Springfield, Massachusetts. The project is an English writing lab at the High School of Commerce. The design review was held on 4 June 1993 and the technology installation was completed on 21 June 1993. The design review material defines the users and their needs, provides operational scenarios in the form of instructional strategy models, presents system requirements and the system design, formalizes an operations plan, and describes MITRE's teacher training program. MITRE Technology in Education Project. An English Writing Lab at the Springfield High School of Commerce Copy of Paper