GIFT

This new version of the proceedings is available in the documents section of the GIFTtutoring.org site. Errata have been addressed.

The GIFT team is coordinating a workshop at AIED 2015 titled: "Developing a Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT): Informing Design through a Community of Practice" Submission deadline of March 20.

The purpose of this workshop is to examine current research within the AIED community focused on improving adaptive tools and methods for authoring, automated instruction and evaluation associated with the Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT). The organizers plan to demonstrate various authoring tools and capabilities available within GIFT and to allocate time for hands-on interaction with GIFT’s authoring tools. The goal of this event is to provide an interactive forum for interested parties to learn about how GIFT operates, to learn about the various research efforts that are ongoing to improve its function, and to allow participants to share insights and opinions on presented work and demonstrations. This workshop is unique as it will also provide participants with opportunities to work alongside the presenters.
Agenda
Call for Papers
Submission Site

All... note dates for submission to GIFTSym3 below... abstract deadline extended two weeks.

2015, June 17-18th, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida

Scope and Topics of Interest:
The aim of this symposium is to bring together members of the GIFT User community for an in-depth exploration of tools, methods, and standards for Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs) as part of the Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT) research project sponsored by the US Army Research Laboratory. GIFT is a free, modular, service-oriented architecture whose goal is to make automated authoring, automated instruction, and effect analysis easy and cost-effective. GIFT has three primary objectives:

(1)reduce the skill and time needed to author ITSs
(2)provide an automated instructional capability based upon best tutoring principles, strategies, and tactics for use in ITSs;
(3)enable experimentation to analyze the effectiveness and impact of ITS components, tools, and methods.
The program committee invites GIFT practitioners and ITS scientists to submit papers highlighting their use of GIFT and recommendations for design enhancements in the following areas: automated authoring, automated instructional management, and evaluation of learning, retention and transfer effect.

Submission instructions:
Paper submissions should be 10 pages maximum in APA format and submitted through Easy Chair at: https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=giftsym3. Only submissions in .doc (Word) format will be accepted and a template will be made available on https://www.gifttutoring.org/documents/48. All submissions should be in English. Address any questions to robert.sottilare@us.army.mil.

Important Dates

Symposium abstracts due: February 27, 2015
Symposium abstracts accepted: March 11, 2015
Symposium papers due: April 3, 2015
Decisions communicated to authors: April 22, 2015
Camera ready papers due: May 15, 2015
Presentations due: June 10, 2015
Symposium dates: June 17-18, 2015

Proceedings of the Second Annual GIFT Users Symposium are now available on https://www.gifttutoring.org/projects/gift/documents. Ebook versions of the proceedings will be available later this week on Google Play.

GIFT 2014-3X (“Holiday GIFT”) is now available for download by registered users on the GIFT Portal at http://gifttutoring.org

Download the file here: https://gifttutoring.org/projects/gift/files

Additions/improvements include:
- Example EMAP course created to show enhanced adaptive branching
- More complete Excavator course added with additional levels of in-game assessment
- A tool for getting the status of performance assessment nodes (requested by community)
- Support for multiple users of a single GIFT instance
- Handful of bug fixes (including launching SIMILE)

Note that GIFT-2014-3X is an eXperimental release, and has not been fully regression tested. Please communicate any regression errors that you find on the forums at https://gifttutoring.org/projects/gift/boards.

2015, June 17-18th, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida

Scope and Topics of Interest:
The aim of this symposium is to bring together members of the GIFT User community for an in-depth exploration of tools, methods, and standards for Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs) as part of the Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT) research project sponsored by the US Army Research Laboratory. GIFT is a free, modular, service-oriented architecture whose goal is to make automated authoring, automated instruction, and effect analysis easy and cost-effective. GIFT has three primary objectives:

(1)reduce the skill and time needed to author ITSs
(2)provide an automated instructional capability based upon best tutoring principles, strategies, and tactics for use in ITSs;
(3)enable experimentation to analyze the effectiveness and impact of ITS components, tools, and methods.
The program committee invites GIFT practitioners and ITS scientists to submit papers highlighting their use of GIFT and recommendations for design enhancements in the following areas: automated authoring, automated instructional management, and evaluation of learning, retention and transfer effect.

Submission instructions:
Paper submissions should be 10 pages maximum in APA format and submitted through Easy Chair at: https://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=giftsym3. Only submissions in .doc (Word) format will be accepted and a template will be made available on https://www.gifttutoring.org/documents/48. All submissions should be in English. Address any questions to robert.sottilare@us.army.mil.

Important Dates

Symposium abstracts due: February 27, 2015
Symposium abstracts accepted: March 11, 2015
Symposium papers due: April 3, 2015
Decisions communicated to authors: April 22, 2015
Camera ready papers due: May 15, 2015
Presentations due: June 10, 2015
Symposium dates: June 17-18, 2015

Each version of GIFT has come with a new domain of instruction, to serve as an example of how to use various capabilities. The EMAP functionality in the current GIFT release allow for a pedagogical engine to select content based on information about the learner, skip content based on pre-test information, assign remediation based on post-test information, assess learners in a practice environment, and assign feedback/remediation from observations. You can see examples of most of these items by downloading a construction environment/terrain and training course on the Files tab (https://gifttutoring.org/projects/gift/files) and following the instructions in the zip files.

Hi GIFT Users... A new version of GIFT is now available to the public... we would like to hear about and share your experiences with GIFT. Have you applied GIFT in some novel way? In a classroom? Send us a picture of you and your class. For an evaluation or experiment? We would like to feature GIFT users and tell your story on www.GIFTtutoring.org.

Email your stories to: robert.a.sottilare.civ@mail.mil and title your email "GIFT User Experience"

Regards,

GIFT Development Team

GIFT 2014-2 is now available for download by registered users on the GIFT Portal at http://gifttutoring.org

Download the file here: https://gifttutoring.org/projects/gift/files

Additions/improvements include:

• Control Panel
• DE Testbed integration
• Performance Assessment Node Status Tool
• SIMILE
• GIFT Authoring Tool
• Improved Learner State Panel (Monitor)
• EMAP and Merrills Branch Point improvements
• Additional Web browser support
• AutoTutor Local SKO Option
• Course configuration
• Concept Assessment Improvements
• Conversion Wizard Improvements
• LRS + Course Recommendations

After downloading, more details are available in the release notes.

The GIFT team anticipated a fully regression tested release (2014-2), shortly followed by an experimental release (2014-3X). In order to enhance functionality, there will be a software release at the end of September, titled 2014-2.