GIFT

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.

This afternoon is the start of GIFTSym2 at 1pm! For those attending, below is information regarding the location.

Gates-Hillman Center
Room 6115
Carnegie Mellon University
4902 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891

For parking information, please use this link:
http://www.cmu.edu/parking/about/locations.html

Design Recommendations for Intelligent Tutoring Systems - Volume 2 - Instructional Management" is now available in pdf format. This book is a collaboration between ARL, the University of Memphis, and scores of government and academic partners to provide a ready reference for researchers and ITS developers. Download at https://gifttutoring.org/projects/gift/documents

We discovered an issue with the Sensor Module in the 2014-1X GIFT release, where if the module was configured with one or more sensors a null pointer exception would be thrown. The exception occurs as soon as the user starts any GIFT course.

If you plan on running your GIFT instance with a sensor, be sure to check out the forum post that describes the remedy for this issue: https://gifttutoring.org/boards/5/topics/393

Agenda for the 2nd Annual GIFT Users Symposium (GIFTSym2)
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Thursday afternoon - 12 June 2014

Theme #1 - Authoring Intelligent Tutoring Systems

• 1300: Welcome and Challenges for ITS Authors - Robert Sottilare (#5)
• 1330: Unwrapping GIFT: A Primer on Authoring Tools for the Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring - Michael Hoffman (#5)
• 1400: SimStudent: Authoring Expert Models by Tutoring - Christopher Maclellan (#1)
• 1430: SIMILE: An Authoring and Reasoning System for GIFT - Howard Mall (#12)
• 1500: Break

Theme #2: Tutoring System Interoperability

• 1515: Interoperable Performance Assessment for Individuals and Teams Using Experience API - Michael Hruska (#13)
• 1545: Game-based Architecture for Mentor-Enhanced Training Environments (GAMETE) - Thomas Santarelli (#14)
• 1615: Adaptive Training in the Soldier-Centered Army Learning Environment (SCALE) - Joanne Barnieu (#25)
• 1645: Adjourn for the Day

Friday morning - 13 June 2014

Theme #3 - GIFT - User Perspectives for Authors, Researchers, and Instructional Designers

• 0800: An Analysis of GIFT Users’ Experiences and Design Recommendations for Usability Enhancements in GIFT - Heather Holden (#17)
• 0830: The Research Psychologist's Guide to GIFT - Anne Sinatra (#9)
• 0900: Triggering and Structure of Instructional Interactions Within GIFT - Bob Pokorny (#24)

Theme #4 - Affect and other Non-Cognitive Factors in ITSs

• 0930: Investigating the Role of Physiological Measurement in Intelligent Tutoring - Jennifer Murphy (#10)
• 1000: Break
• 1015: Towards Detection of Engagement and Affect in a Simulation-based Combat Medic Training Environment - Ryan Baker (#27)
• 1045: It’s All About the Process: Building Sensor-Driven Emotion Detectors with GIFT - Jonathan Rowe (#18)
• 1115: Personalization, Non-Cognitive Factors, and Grain-Size for Measurement and Analysis in Intelligent Tutoring Systems: Implications for GIFT - Stephen Fancsali (#22)

Lunch - 1145 - 1300 (on your own)

Friday afternoon - 13 June 2014

Theme #5 - Teachable Agents

• 1300: Design Challenges and Recommendations for Multi-Agent Learning Systems Featuring Teachable Agents - Natalie Parde (#6)
• 1330: Learning by Teaching a Synthetic Peer: Lessons Learned from in vivo Field Trials - Noburu Masuda (#8)

Theme #6 Dialogue-based Tutoring

• 1400: Using GIFT as an adaptation engine for a dialogue-based tutor - Robbie Robson (#23)
• 1430: Rapid, Form-Based Authoring of Natural Language Tutoring Trialogs - Benjamin Nye (#11)
• 1500: Break

Theme #7: Intelligent Tutoring for Teams

• 1515: Taxonomy of Teams, Team Tasks, and Tutors - Stephen Gilbert (#26)
• 1545: Modality and Timing of Team Feedback: Implications for GIFT - Stephen Gilbert (#20)
• 1615: Adjourn for the Day

Dear GIFT User,

Please take about 5-10 minutes to complete the following GIFT User Experience Survey. The survey is web-based and user-friendly. The purpose of this feedback is to gain GIFT users' perspectives about your usage of GIFT. Your individual responses will be kept completely confidential; however, we will present the collective results at the 2nd Annual GIFT User Symposium in June 2014.

We appreciate your willingness to participate and value your feedback. Our hope is this process will help us meet and refine your expectations and experiences with GIFT. In order to accomplish this, please complete this survey by midnight of Wednesday, April 16th.

To begin, please click the following survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BQ8FLD3

GIFT 2014-1X is now available for download by registered users on the GIFT Portal (http://gifttutoring.org<http://gifttutoring.org/>).
Download the file here: https://gifttutoring.org/projects/gift/files
We are moving to 9-month release cycles with a changed version naming scheme. Versions will now be named after the year they are released, by the order of their release. As an example, this version is GIFT-2014-1. In an effort to standardize, and to be able to release a single module, tool, or incremental update, there will now be “experimental” releases, with an ‘X’ denotation. As an example, this release is GIFT-2014-1X. Experimental releases have been tested to assure that all basic functionality works, but have not been fully regression tested. This experimental release introduces three new tools: the web-based GIFT Authoring Tool, the AutoTutor Script Authoring Tool, and the SIMILE Workbench.
Important changes made since the last release include:

• Internet Explorer (IE) 10 support

• Chrome support remains present
• IE9 abandoned without configuration

• Concepts can be assigned priority values

• Higher priority concepts receive feedback first
• Priority values can be adjusted at runtime

• GIFT Authoring Guide for how to build your own training application

• Simple Training Application added to support this tutorial

• GIFT web-based authoring tool
• AutoTutor Script Authoring Tool (ASAT) for creating your own AutoTutor scripts.
• SIMILE Workbench tool for authoring within-game assessments
• Miscellaneous (ERT, feedback display, and install improvements, etc.)

After downloading (https://gifttutoring.org/projects/gift/files) more details are available in the release notes.

Dear GIFT User,

Please take about 5-10 minutes to complete the following GIFT User Experience Survey. The survey is web-based and user-friendly. The purpose of this feedback is to gain GIFT users' perspectives about your usage of GIFT. Your individual responses will be kept completely confidential; however, we will present the collective results at the 2nd Annual GIFT User Symposium in June 2014.

We appreciate your willingness to participate and value your feedback. Our hope is this process will help us meet and refine your expectations and experiences with GIFT. In order to accomplish this, please complete this survey by midnight of Wednesday, April 16th.

To begin, please click the following survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BQ8FLD3

Due to the short time for response to the announcement of workshop submissions, the deadlines for submission to the three workshops (https://gifttutoring.org/news/24) have all been EXTENDED to the 31st of March. In addition to this change, the Pedagogy That Makes A Difference workshop has been revised to support an 8 page maximum (Springer format) submission.

Enjoy the extra writing time.

The new schedule is:
03-31-2014: Paper submission deadline
04-20-2014: Author Notification
05-05-2014: Final version deadline

The ITS 2014 Conference Program can be found here: http://its2014.its-conferences.com/sites/default/files/ITS%202014%20Workshop%20Program_0.pdf