This module on interactive tasks provides teachers with an overview of the nature of communication and explores the ways in which interactive tasks can promote communicative exchanges among students and teachers. The module provides guidelines for developing tasks, along with examples and options for their use in various types of language courses, including beginning level language classes, as well as more advanced language courses focusing culture, linguistics, literature, and film. Please visit the series companion website for more information: http://routledgetextbooks.com/textbooks/9781315679594/

Experts from a range of disciplines explore how humans and artificial agents can quickly learn completely new tasks through natural interactions with each other. Humans are not limited to a fixed set of innate or preprogrammed tasks. We learn quickly through language and other forms of natural interaction, and we improve our performance and teach others what we have learned. Understanding the mechanisms that underlie the acquisition of new tasks through natural interaction is an ongoing challenge. Advances in artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and robotics are leading us to future systems with human-like capabilities. A huge gap exists, however, between the highly specialized niche capabilities of current machine learning systems and the generality, flexibility, and in situ robustness of human instruction and learning. Drawing on expertise from multiple disciplines, this Strüngmann Forum Report explores how humans and artificial agents can quickly learn completely new tasks through natural interactions with each other. The contributors consider functional knowledge requirements, the ontology of interactive task learning, and the representation of task knowledge at multiple levels of abstraction. They explore natural forms of interactions among humans as well as the use of interaction to teach robots and software agents new tasks in complex, dynamic environments. They discuss research challenges and opportunities, including ethical considerations, and make proposals to further understanding of interactive task learning and create new capabilities in assistive robotics, healthcare, education, training, and gaming. Contributors Tony Belpaeme, Katrien Beuls, Maya Cakmak, Joyce Y. Chai, Franklin Chang, Ropafadzo Denga, Marc Destefano, Mark d'Inverno, Kenneth D. Forbus, Simon Garrod, Kevin A. Gluck, Wayne D. Gray, James Kirk, Kenneth R. Koedinger, Parisa Kordjamshidi, John E. Laird, Christian Lebiere, Stephen C. Levinson, Elena Lieven, John K. Lindstedt, Aaron Mininger, Tom Mitchell, Shiwali Mohan, Ana Paiva, Katerina Pastra, Peter Pirolli, Roussell Rahman, Charles Rich, Katharina J. Rohlfing, Paul S. Rosenbloom, Nele Russwinkel, Dario D. Salvucci, Matthew-Donald D. Sangster, Matthias Scheutz, Julie A. Shah, Candace L. Sidner, Catherine Sibert, Michael Spranger, Luc Steels, Suzanne Stevenson, Terrence C. Stewart, Arthur Still, Andrea Stocco, Niels Taatgen, Andrea L. Thomaz, J. Gregory Trafton, Han L. J. van der Maas, Paul Van Eecke, Kurt VanLehn, Anna-Lisa Vollmer, Janet Wiles, Robert E. Wray III, Matthew Yee-King

This module on interactive tasks provides teachers with an overview of the nature of communication and explores the ways in which interactive tasks can promote communicative exchanges among students and teachers. The module provides guidelines for developing tasks, along with examples and options for their use in various types of language courses, including beginning level language classes, as well as more advanced language courses focusing culture, linguistics, literature, and film. Please visit the series companion website for more information: http://routledgetextbooks.com/textbooks/9781315679594/

Experts from a range of disciplines explore how humans and artificial agents can quickly learn completely new tasks through natural interactions with each other. Humans are not limited to a fixed set of innate or preprogrammed tasks. We learn quickly through language and other forms of natural interaction, and we improve our performance and teach others what we have learned. Understanding the mechanisms that underlie the acquisition of new tasks through natural interaction is an ongoing challenge. Advances in artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and robotics are leading us to future systems with human-like capabilities. A huge gap exists, however, between the highly specialized niche capabilities of current machine learning systems and the generality, flexibility, and in situ robustness of human instruction and learning. Drawing on expertise from multiple disciplines, this Strüngmann Forum Report explores how humans and artificial agents can quickly learn completely new tasks through natural interactions with each other. The contributors consider functional knowledge requirements, the ontology of interactive task learning, and the representation of task knowledge at multiple levels of abstraction. They explore natural forms of interactions among humans as well as the use of interaction to teach robots and software agents new tasks in complex, dynamic environments. They discuss research challenges and opportunities, including ethical considerations, and make proposals to further understanding of interactive task learning and create new capabilities in assistive robotics, healthcare, education, training, and gaming. Contributors Tony Belpaeme, Katrien Beuls, Maya Cakmak, Joyce Y. Chai, Franklin Chang, Ropafadzo Denga, Marc Destefano, Mark d'Inverno, Kenneth D. Forbus, Simon Garrod, Kevin A. Gluck, Wayne D. Gray, James Kirk, Kenneth R. Koedinger, Parisa Kordjamshidi, John E. Laird, Christian Lebiere, Stephen C. Levinson, Elena Lieven, John K. Lindstedt, Aaron Mininger, Tom Mitchell, Shiwali Mohan, Ana Paiva, Katerina Pastra, Peter Pirolli, Roussell Rahman, Charles Rich, Katharina J. Rohlfing, Paul S. Rosenbloom, Nele Russwinkel, Dario D. Salvucci, Matthew-Donald D. Sangster, Matthias Scheutz, Julie A. Shah, Candace L. Sidner, Catherine Sibert, Michael Spranger, Luc Steels, Suzanne Stevenson, Terrence C. Stewart, Arthur Still, Andrea Stocco, Niels Taatgen, Andrea L. Thomaz, J. Gregory Trafton, Han L. J. van der Maas, Paul Van Eecke, Kurt VanLehn, Anna-Lisa Vollmer, Janet Wiles, Robert E. Wray III, Matthew Yee-King

Martin Wilde's cutting-edge exploration of the creative potential of game audio systems addresses the latest working methods of those involved in creating and programming immersive, interactive and non-linear audio for games. The book demonstrates how the game programmer can create an software system which enables the audio content provider (composer/sound designer) to maintain direct control over the composition and presentation of an interactive game soundtrack. This system (which is platform independent) is described step-by-step in Wilde's approachable style with illuminating case studies, all source codes for which are provided on the accompanying CD-Rom which readers can use to develop their own audio engines. As a programmer with experience of developing sound and music software engines for computer game titles on a multitude of platforms who is also an experienced musician, Martin Wilde is uniquely placed to address individuals approaching game audio from various levels and areas of expertise. Game audio programmers will learn how to achieve enable even better audio soundtracks and effects, while musicians who want to capitalise on this shift in roles will gain a greater appreciation of the technical issues involved, so enhancing their employment prospects. Students of game design can practice these skills by building their own game audio engines based on the source code provided.

Provides an analysis of virtual communities, explaining their lifecycle in terms of maturity-based models and workflows.

This book constitutes the refereed post-proceedings of the 12th International Workshop on Design, Specification, and Verification of Interactive Systems, DSV-IS 2005. The 20 revised full papers, 1 keynote paper, and 4 summaries of group discussions are organized in topical sections on teams and groups, sketches and templates, away from the desktop, migration and mobility, analysis tools, model-based design processes and tools, and group discussions.