Fuhua Lin

Developing virtual environments for industrial training

Virtual reality-based training systems (VRTSs) are advanced computer-assisted training systems using Virtual Reality (VR) technology. To have better structure and easier implementation, a virtual training system can be modeled as an integrated system consisting of a training task-planning module, an instruction module, a simulation module, a performance evaluation module, and an interface module. Presented in this paper are an architecture of VR-based training systems and a practical knowledge modeling approach to modeling the training scenarios of the systems by using Petri nets formalism. A Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling operations virtual training prototype system was developed to illustrate the feasibility and effectiveness of this approach.

Schema-based conversation modeling for agent-oriented manufacturing systems

Abstract In agent-oriented manufacturing systems, an efficient and flexible computational conversation model can enable more effective and robust communication, cooperation, and negotiation among agents. This paper therefore describes a schema-based agent conversation model for intelligent agent-oriented manufacturing systems. Conversation schemata are constructed by (1) identifying agent types and their interactions; (2) capturing and formalizing interaction constraints; (3) verifying schemata using colored petri net (CPN) (to prevent deadlock and livelock of conversations); (4) translating the schemata into production rule sets and Java thread classes; (5) identifying inter-schema relationships and building class hierarchies of schemata; (6) constructing conversation managers (CMs) to control and coordinate the schema thread-based dynamic execution. An application example in distributed production planning, implemented in the Java environment, shows the effectiveness of the method.

A survey of distance education challenges and technologies

Distance education, e-learning, and virtual university are similar terms for a trend of modern education. It is an integration of information technologies, computer hardware systems, and communication tools to support educational professionals in remote teaching. This chapter presents an overview of distance education from the perspective of policy, people, and technology. A number of questions frequently asked in distance learning panel discussions are presented, with the suggested answers from the authors. The survey presented in this chapter includes communication, intelligent, and educational technologies of distance education. Readers of this 2 Shih, Hung, Ma, and Jin Copyright

An integrated framework for recommendation systems in e-commerce

The Internet has become a popular medium for information exchange and knowledge delivery. Several traditional social activities have moved to the Internet, such as distance learning, tele‐medical system and. traditional buying and selling activities. Online merchants must know what users want, so providing recommendation services is an important strategy. Analyzes users’ on‐line behavior and interests, and recommends to them new or potential products. The analysis mechanism is based on the correlation among customers, product items, and product features. An algorithm is developed to classify users into groups and the recommendation is based on the classification. The system can help merchants to make suitable business decisions and provide personalized information to the customers. A generic mobile agent framework for e‐commerce applications is proposed. The aforementioned collaborative computing architecture for the recommendation system is based on the framework.

An Infrastructure for Developing Pervasive Learning Environments

This paper presents an infrastructure for developing problem-based pervasive learning environments. Building such environments necessitates having many autonomous components dealing with various tasks and heterogeneous distributed resources. Our proposed infrastructure is based on a multi-agent system architecture to integrate various components of the environments. The infrastructure includes a location- and context-awareness service, a question and answer service, an adaptive mechanism; problem based ubiquitous learning models, social networking issues, and the evaluation of multimedia inputs. Furthermore, student modeling issues among components are considered. The design of the infrastructure as well as its components is discussed. This paves the way towards the development of pervasive learning applications.

An Approach for Integrating 3D Virtual Worlds with Multiagent Systems

Education is incorporating more and more of the capabilities provided by the Internet. One such move is the incorporation of 3D virtual worlds in the learning environment. Another is the increasing development of multiagent systems that support the learner or the tutor. Integrating pedagogically based multiagent systems with 3D virtual worlds could provide a more engaging immersive learning environment. This paper explores the feasibility of integrating a 3D virtual world with a pedagogical multiagent system named QuizMASter, an educational game for elearning that helps students learn their course material through friendly competition. The integration was developed by devising, implementing and testing an approach using open source technologies, namely, Open Wonderland and JADE. The result is encouraging as the integration is technically feasible, not overly difficult and opens a door to further integration opportunities.

Intelligent and Adaptive Learning Systems: Technology Enhanced Support for Learners and Teachers

Writing is a core skill that learners are expected to develop in their early school years and use effectively throughout their later school years. Historically, writing has been considered the purview of grade school education, yet there is evidence that learners seem to lack basic writing skills even at the university level. Unfortunately, the challenges posed by the volume of data created when students write have hampered writing researchers’ attempts to study the impacts of grade school writing initiatives in depth. This chapter introduces two novel approaches to academic writing activities that hold the potential to enhance writing competence and make it easier for researchers to understand the impact of writing interventions. The first uses mobile devices in a situated learning context, and the second uses a mixed-initiative writing system in the classroom.

A multiagent and service-oriented architecture for developing adaptive e-learning systems

This paper presents an architecture for developing adaptive e-learning systems using intelligent agent technology and Web Services (WS) technology. Intelligent software agents are designed for supporting users to accomplish knowledge-intensive tasks. WS are designed for the integration of distributed knowledge and information resources and exposed as standard services using widely accepted protocols. In particular, the Domain Model Ontology in the architecture can be shared between applications in the Semantic Web setting for reuse and interoperability. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach, we implement a prototype of a programme planning and scheduling system for adaptive e-learning.

TSI-Enhanced Pedagogical Agents to Engage Learners in Virtual Worlds.

Building pedagogical applications in virtual worlds is a multi-disciplinary endeavor that involves learning theories, application development framework, and mediated communication theories. This paper presents a project that integrates game-based learning, multi-agent system architecture (MAS), and the theory of Transformed Social Interaction (TSI), The project implements a group of engaging, affectionate and effective pedagogical agents equipped with abilities of selfrepresentation, emotional states reasoning and situational awareness. A prototype of a virtual quiz show, QuizMASter, has been implemented to realize these abilities, and will be used to test for the effectiveness of the approach. Keywordsvirtual quiz games, pedagogical agent, transformed social interaction(TSI) theory, BDI agent, multiagent systems.

A Conceptual Design of Multi-Agent Based Personalized Quiz Game

This paper presents the conceptual design of a virtual 3D quiz game based on a multi-agent system (MAS) architecture aptly named QuizMASter. The QuizMASter supports formative assessment by providing adaptive testing and feedback using intelligent pedagogical agents within an immersive game-based virtual learning environment. This enables instructors to use assessment as a motivational tool within an entertaining context where students do not feel the usual pressures related to taking tests.