Preben Wik

Embodied conversational agents in computer assisted language learning

This paper describes two systems using embodied conversational agents (ECAs) for language learning. The first system, called Ville, is a virtual language teacher for vocabulary and pronunciation training. The second system, a dialogue system called DEAL, is a role-playing game for practicing conversational skills. Whereas DEAL acts as a conversational partner with the objective of creating and keeping an interesting dialogue, Ville takes the role of a teacher who guides, encourages and gives feedback to the students.

DEAL: dialogue management in SCXML for believable game characters

In order for game characters to be believable, they must appear to possess qualities such as emotions, the ability to learn and adapt as well as being able to communicate in natural language. With this paper we aim to contribute to the development of believable non-player characters (NPCs) in games, by presenting a method for managing NPC dialogues. We have selected the trade scenario as an example setting since it offers a well-known and limited domain common in games that support ownership, such as role-playing games. We have developed a dialogue manager in State Chart XML, a newly introduced W3C standard, as part of DEAL --- a research platform for exploring the challenges and potential benefits of combining elements from computer games, dialogue systems and language learning.

Responses to Ville : A virtual language teacher for Swedish

A series of novel capabilities have been designed to extend the repertoire of Ville, a virtual language teacher for Swedish, created at the Centre for Speech technology at KTH. These capabilities were tested by twenty-seven language students at KTH. This paper reports on qualitative surveys and quantitative performance from these sessions which suggest some general lessons for automated language training.