Accessible Artificial Intelligence Tutoring Software (Phase II SBIR)

描述(由申请者提供)：这项第二阶段的建议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，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化学辅导系统。一种与设计固有的可访问性一起制定的人工智能辅导方法，将对开发除化学以外的所有内容领域的复杂可访问性教育软件的前景产生广泛影响。此外，课堂教师还可以根据需要获得视障学生的个性化评估报告和诊断信息，就像是从一个虚拟助教那里一样。第一阶段的可行性通过开发一个原型无障碍AI辅导计划来证明，该计划获得了全国盲人联合会(NFB)非视觉无障碍网络应用程序认证计划的认证。在之前的SBIR项目中，Quantum成功地在AI领域创新了新概念，并开发、测试并引入了科学和数学教育的课堂辅导和评估系统。Quantum AI导师的某些独特属性使其非常适合盲人以及其他与印刷相关的残疾人士使用互联网屏幕阅读器技术进行完全无障碍访问。潜在的技术创新是开发第一个先进的人工智能化学辅导技术，该技术的框架设计中包含了无障碍功能。第二阶段的重要目标包括：在特定于化学的无障碍问题上继续取得进展。在AI框架本身中完成对完全可访问性的支持。实现对化学公式和方程式的盲文支持。盲生化学专题教学问题的调查。扩展到盲人/VI学生的无障碍科学评估，建立在Quantum目前正在开发的其他项目的人工智能评估技术的基础上。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别挑战。已经通过吸收具有重要商业和技术意义的合作伙伴，如全国盲人联合会和美国盲人印刷厂(APH)，为第三阶段的成功做好了准备。此外，量子公司还与美国两家领先的教育出版商麦格劳-希尔和霍尔特、莱因哈特和温斯顿建立了长期的合作伙伴关系，并与主要的科学教育供应公司Science Kit&Boreal实验室和萨金特-韦尔奇签订了另外两项商业协议。化学是国家科学教育标准中物理科学内容标准的主要组成部分，但就素质教育软件而言，化学是最被忽视的领域之一，对于盲人和视障人士来说，化学是一个特别尖锐的问题。通过最近得到联邦政府支持的研究，量子模拟公司成功地开发、测试并将第一个人工智能(AI)化学辅导系统带到了课堂上。本研究的目标是将这一尖端新教育技术的全部力量和好处带给使用可上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.