Accessible Artificial Intelligence Tutoring Software (Phase II SBIR)

描述（由申请人提供）：此第二阶段提案的重点是开发可访问的人工智能（AI）软件，用于化学教育中的个性化辅导和形成性评估。如果成功的话，一个直接的结果将是第一个通过互联网向盲人学生提供的化学人工智能辅导系统。人工智能辅导方法与设计固有的可访问性制定将有广泛的影响前景开发复杂的可访问的教育软件在所有内容领域，超越化学。此外，任课教师可以按需获得视障学生的个性化评估报告和诊断信息，就像从“虚拟教学助理”那里获得的一样。第一阶段的可行性通过开发一个原型无障碍人工智能辅导程序来证明，该程序在全国盲人联合会（NFB）的非视觉无障碍Web应用程序认证计划中获得认证。在之前的SBIR项目中，Quantum成功地创新了人工智能领域的新概念，并开发、测试了科学和数学教育的课堂辅导和评估系统。Quantum AI Tutors的某些独特属性使其非常适合盲人以及其他印刷相关残疾人士使用互联网屏幕阅读器技术进行全面访问。潜在的技术创新是开发第一种先进的人工智能化学辅导技术，该技术的框架设计中内置了可访问性。第二阶段的重要目标包括：在化学品的具体无障碍问题上继续取得进展。在AI框架本身中完成完整的可访问性支持。实施化学公式和方程式的盲文支持。盲生化学专业教学问题之探讨。扩展到盲人/VI学生的无障碍科学评估，以Quantum目前在其他项目中开发的AI评估技术为基础。特殊教育是在“不让一个孩子掉队”立法范围内进行评估的一个特殊挑战。为使第三阶段取得成功，已经进行了准备工作，让一些在商业和技术上都很重要的伙伴参与进来，如全国盲人联合会和美国盲人印刷所。此外，Quantum还与美国两家领先的教育出版商McGraw-Hill and Holt，Rinehart and Winston建立了长期合作伙伴关系，并与主要的科学教育供应公司Science Kit & Boreal Laboratories和Sargent-Welch签订了两项额外的商业协议。在国家科学教育标准中，化学占物理科学内容标准的大部分，但总体而言，化学是质量教育软件中最被忽视的领域之一，对盲人和视障者来说是一个特别严重的问题。通过最近的联邦政府支持的研究，量子模拟公司。成功开发、测试并将第一个化学人工智能（AI）辅导系统带到课堂。本研究的目标是将这种尖端的新教育技术的全部力量和好处带给使用互联网屏幕访问技术的盲人和视障学生。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Phase II proposal focuses on the development of accessible artificial intelligence (AI) software for individualized tutoring and formative assessment in chemistry education. If successful, an immediate outcome will be the very first AI tutoring systems for chemistry that are accessible to blind students, delivered through the Internet. An AI tutoring methodology formulated with accessibility inherent to the design will have broad implications for the prospect of developing sophisticated accessible educational software in all content areas, beyond chemistry. Furthermore, classroom teachers can obtain individualized assessment reporting and diagnostic information for visually impaired students on demand, as if from a "virtual teaching assistant". Feasibility of Phase I was demonstrated by developing a prototype accessible AI tutoring program that received certification in the National Federation of the Blind's (NFB) Nonvisual Accessibility Web Application Certification Program. In previous SBIR projects, Quantum has successfully innovated new concepts in the field of AI and has developed, tested and brought to the classroom tutoring and assessment systems for science and mathematics education. Certain unique attributes of the Quantum AI Tutors make them potentially very well suited for full accessibility to the blind, as well as individuals with other print-related disabilities, using Internet- capable screen reader technology. The potential technological innovation is the development of the first advanced AI chemistry tutoring technology that has accessibility built into its framework design. Important Phase II objectives include: Continued progress on chemistry-specific accessibility issues. Completion of full accessibility support in AI framework itself. Implementation of Braille support for chemical formulas and equations. Investigation of chemistry-specific pedagogical issues for blind students. Extension to accessible science assessment for blind/VI students, building on AI assessment technology currently under development by Quantum in other projects. Special education is a particular challenge for assessment within the No Child Left Behind legislation. Preparation for success in Phase III has already been undertaken by involving partners that are important commercially as well as technically, such as the National Federation of the Blind and the American Printing House for the Blind (APH). In addition, Quantum has long-term partnerships with McGraw-Hill and Holt, Rinehart and Winston, two of the country's leading educational publishers, as well as two additional commercial agreements with major science education supply companies, Science Kit & Boreal Laboratories and Sargent-Welch. Chemistry comprises the majority of the content standard for physical science in the National Science Education Standards, and yet is one of the most neglected areas in terms of quality educational software, in general, and is a particularly acute problem for the blind and visually impaired. Through recent federally-supported research, Quantum Simulations, Inc. has successfully developed, tested and brought to the classroom the very first artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring systems for chemistry. The goal of the present research is to bring the full power and benefit of this cutting-edge new educational technology to students who are blind and visually impaired using Internet-capable screen access technology.