NOTRE DAME, IN, USA — Researchers at the University Of Notre Dame say they have created an emotion-sensing computer software that is able to assess and respond to students’ cognitive and emotional states, including boredom and frustration.
The "AutoTutor" offers learning options by receiving "information regarding the cognitive states, motivation levels and social dynamics of the students". It was tested on 1,000 students and delivers learning gains of one letter grade.
Psychology Professor, Dr. Sidney D’Mello (University of Notre Dame) and colleagues from the University of Memphis and MIT conducted the experiment. He stated "Much like a gifted human tutor, AutoTutor and Affective AutoTutor attempt to keep the student balanced between the extremes of boredom and bewilderment by subtly modulating the pace, direction and complexity of the learning task. Most of the 20th-century systems required humans to communicate with computers through windows, icons, menus, and pointing devices,” he explained. “But humans have always communicated with each other through speech and a host of non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, eye contact, posture, and gesture. In addition to enhancing the content of the message, the new technology provides information regarding the cognitive states, motivation levels, and social dynamics of the students.”
D’Mello explained that his group’s project was based largely on the idea of how people “feel” when interacting with computers. This new technology not only offers tremendous learning possibilities for students, but also redefines human-computer interaction.
