Accessible Artificial Intelligence Tutoring Software

描述(由申请人提供)：量子公司成功地开发、测试并将第一个化学教育中的人工智能(Al)辅导系统带到了课堂上。这项工作成功地满足了对改进交互式教育软件的几个长期的、明确阐述的需求。作为美国和加拿大的领先分销商，Science Kit&Boreal实验室以及著名的教科书出版商Holt、Rinehart和Winston已经与Quantum签订了长期合同，从而迅速向既定的最终用户群传播。这项第一阶段SBIR提案的目的是将这一尖端新教育技术的全部力量和好处带给盲人和视障学生。一般而言，科学教育的教育软件有相当大的改进需求，但为盲人提供优质教育软件材料的问题尤其严重。Quantum Al Tutors的某些独特属性使其非常适合盲人使用具有互联网功能的屏幕阅读器技术进行全面访问。这里潜在的技术创新是开发先进的铝辅导技术，这种技术在其框架设计中具有无障碍功能。如果成功，一个立竿见影的结果将是第一个通过互联网提供给盲人学生的人工智能辅导系统。设计中固有的辅助学习辅导方法的制定将对在化学以外的所有内容领域开发复杂的、无障碍的教育软件的前景产生广泛的影响。这个项目只能通过与盲人教育专家密切合作才能完成，量子公司在这方面安排了许多重要的合作伙伴关系，用于研究由此产生的技术以及将其商业化，其中包括：全国盲人联合会、美国盲人印刷厂、皮尔逊学习集团、巴蒂迈斯集团和亨特数学公司。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Quantum has successfully developed, tested and brought to the classroom the first artificial intelligence (Al) tutoring systems in chemistry education. This work successfully addressed several longstanding, clearly articulated needs for improved interactive educational software. A leading distributor for the U.S. and Canada, Science Kit & Boreal Laboratories, as well as prominent textbook publisher, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, have entered into long-term contracts with Quantum, resulting in rapid dissemination to an established end user base. The aim of this Phase I SBIR proposal is to bring the full power and benefits of this cutting-edge new educational technology to students who are blind and visually impaired. There is a considerable need for improved educational software for science education in general, but the problem of quality educational software materials for the blind is known to be particularly acute. Certain unique attributes of the Quantum Al Tutors make them potentially very well suited for full accessibility to the blind using Internet-capable screen reader technology. The potential technological innovation here is the development of advanced Al tutoring technology that has accessibility built into its framework design. If successful, an immediate outcome will be the first Al tutoring systems that are accessible to blind students, delivered through the Internet. A formulation of an Al tutoring methodology 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. This project can only be accomplished by working intimately with experts in education for the blind, and Quantum has arranged a number of important partnerships in this respect, for research as well as commercialization of the resulting technology, including: the National Federation of the Blind, the American Printing House for the Blind, Pearson Learning Group, Bartimaeus Group and Henter Mathematics.