STTR Phase I: Providing Access to Science and Math for Disabled Students Using MathSpeak

该小型企业技术转移研究（STTR）第一阶段研究项目旨在提高转换机制生成的合成语音渲染的质量，并随后通过针对目标消费群体的功效测试来证明第二阶段商业化的可行性。第一个目标将是消除失真和机械的发音表达。观察表明，这种扭曲是由于缺乏逻辑上的停顿插入（即，基于真实的语音的模型）。这一目标将通过开发一种算法来实现，该算法基于数学教育工作者讲数学表达式的录音，该录音将被纳入合成语音转换机制。第二个目标将涉及减少失真和机械声音表达的功效测试。失真减少测试将要求参与者听表达，并准确（逐字）报告他们听到的表达。第三个目标将涉及一个有效性测试，以测试暂停算法的能力，以提高disambiguation.broader的影响包括以下内容：一个压倒一切的目标是增加的可及性科学，技术，工程和数学领域的代表性不足的群体。这一目标与国家科学基金会和教育部进一步制定和实施《国家教学无障碍标准》的激励措施的目标相一致，该标准将通过开发灵活的印刷替代品作为主要目标，促进无障碍教育。此外，该项目不仅促进了对导致误解的口头语言措辞的具体方面的发现和理解，而且还调查了非语言信息的更微妙的细微差别，例如单词之间的间隔及其对准确获取信息的影响。这些研究结果对优化学习策略和教学培训模式具有一定的教育意义。此外，用于算法开发的基本协议对于跨诸如人工智能、增强和替代通信以及计算机和通信科学等合成语音的多个领域的合成语音的开发和改进具有潜在的范例意义。

This Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase I research project investigates the improvement of the quality of the synthetic speech rendering generated by the conversion mechanism and to subsequently demonstrate Phase II commercialization feasibility via efficacy tests with targeted consumer groups. The first objective will be to remove distortions and mechanical sounding expressions. Observations suggest that the distortions arise from the lack of logical insertion of pauses (i.e., based on a model of real speech) between elements in the synthetic speech stream. This objective will be accomplished by developing an algorithm based on recordings of math educators speaking mathematical expressions that will be incorporated into the synthetic speech conversion mechanism. The second objective will involve efficacy testing for the reduction of distortions and mechanical sounding expressions. Distortion reduction testing will require participants to listen expressions and to exactly (verbatim) report the expressions they heard. The third objective will involve an efficacy test to test the capacity of the pause algorithm to enhance disambiguation.Broader impacts include the following: an overriding goal is to increase the accessibility to science, technology, engineering, and mathematical fields by under-represented groups. This goal is consistent with the objectives of the NSF and the Department of Educations incentive to further develop and implement the National Instructional Accessibility Standard (NIMAS), which would facilitate an increase in accessibility via the development of flexible alternatives to print as a primary objective. Additionally, the project advances discovery and understanding not only of the specifics aspects of the wording of spoken language that contribute to misinterpretations but also investigates the more subtle nuances of the non-verbal information such as the intervals between word and their influences on accurate acquisition of information. These findings have educational implications for the optimization of learning strategies and models for teaching and training. Further, the basic protocol for algorithm development has potential paradigmatic significance for development and improvement of synthetic speech across multiple fields that synthetic speech such as artificial intelligence, augmentative and alternative communication, and computer and communication sciences.