The Leonardo Project: An Intelligent Cyberlearning System for Interactive Scientific Modeling in Elementary Science Education

该项目设计和实施了将人工智能以智能辅导系统的形式与多媒体接口相结合的技术，以支持4-5年级的儿童学习科学。学生们使用莱昂纳多的智能虚拟科学笔记本来创建和实验物理现象的互动模型。有了这项技术，学生们的模型就像结合了动画、声音和叙事的交互式多媒体制品一样活了起来。课程的重点是物理和地球科学，该技术支持四个课程单元的多模式交互科学建模：力和运动、磁力和电、地形以及天气和气候。这个环境的一个核心特征是PadMates，它是一种智能虚拟导师，通过交互式科学建模支持科学学习。PI调查学习发生的认知机制。具体地说，他们研究解决问题(策略使用、发散思维和协作)和参与度(动机、情景兴趣、在场)与成就相关的中心问题，以科学内容知识和迁移来衡量。这项研究从城市和农村的60个教室中抽取了不同的学生群体，准确地确定了哪些技术和条件对学习过程和结果做出了最有效的贡献。这些产品包括的技术和发现应该成为框架的基础，为类似系统的未来发展提供信息。鉴于技术在重要发展阶段支撑学习的潜在力量，对所有学习者的影响应该是巨大的。

The project designs and implements technologies that combine artificial intelligence in the form of intelligent tutoring systems with multimedia interfaces to support children in grades 4-5 learning science. The students use LEONARDO's intelligent virtual science notebooks to create and experiment with interactive models of physical phenomena. With this technology, students' models 'come alive' as interactive multimedia artifacts that combine animation, sound, and narration. The curricular focus is on physical and earth sciences, and the technology supports multimodal interactive scientific modeling for four curricular units: forces and motion, magnetism and electricity, landforms, and weather and climate. A central feature of this environment is PadMates, which are intelligent virtual tutors that support science learning through interactive scientific modeling.The PIs investigate the cognitive mechanisms by which learning occurs. Specifically, they study the central issues of problem solving (strategy use, divergent thinking, and collaboration) and engagement (motivation, situational interest, presence) with respect to achievement as measured by both science content knowledge and transfer. With diverse student populations in 60 classrooms drawn from both urban and rural settings, the studies determine precisely which technologies and conditions contribute most effectively to learning processes and outcomes.The products include technologies and findings that should be the basis of a framework to inform the future development of similar systems. The impact should be substantial on all learners given the potential power of the technology to scaffold learning at an important developmental stage.