This document proposes a gamified intelligent tutoring system called EMATIC to help teach basic math concepts to students with special education needs. EMATIC incorporates game elements and mechanics into an ITS to improve student motivation and engagement. It contains modules for the domain model, student model, tutor model, and more. The system was developed using open source technologies and its conceptual model aims to enhance learning for students through intelligent processing of interaction data. Further development plans include deploying EMATIC in educational contexts and upgrading its analytical capabilities.

1. Gamification in Intelligent Tutoring Systems
CARINA GONZÁLEZ
ALBERTO MORA
PEDRO TOLEDO
SALAMANCA, 2 DE OCTUBRE 2014 – TEEM 2014

2. Introduction
Intelligent Tutoring System
Gamification in education
Our proposal – EMATIC
Conclusions
Further work

3. Intelligent Tutoring System
ITS concept: a system capable to guide students along a particular domain of knowledge through the solving of tasks tailored to the needs of the students.
ITS components: traditional ITS are organized in different connected modules:
Student model
Domain model
Tutor model
Interface model

4. Intelligent Tutoring System
ITS organization: they may be divided into smaller pieces like functions, organizations, semi-fully autonomous.
ITS communication: each other according the perceptions of the outside and the state of their knowledge.
ITS + gamification module (join) = G-ITS system for teaching mathematics concepts (EMATIC)

5. Gamification in education
Why gamification?
Definition: it’s the use of game thinking and game mechanics in non-game contexts to engage users in solving problems. It has been studied and applied in several domains, with some of the main purposes being to engage.
How: with the addictive component of game (it tries to apply game mechanics in other environments such as education).
What: any process which satisfies the following assumptions can be gamificated:
An activity that can be learned
User actions that can be measured
Feedbacks timely can be delivered to the user

6. Gamification in education
Why gamification?
James Paul Gee maintains that good videogames are “machines of learning”.
Provide user information on demand as needed.
Capable of presenting tasks that are challenging.
Convert users into creators.
Create levels, from easy to difficult tasks.
Why not using game components (mechanics) to be incorporated into teaching and learning systems (ITS, in our case)?

7. Our proposal - EMATIC
What’s EMATIC?
It’s a G-ITS system designed as a multi-device Web tool, specially oriented to mobile devices (m-learning).
It’s focused for teaching basic mathematical operation with children with SEN.
(i.e. Down, Asperger, Autism)

8. Our proposal - EMATIC
About SEN (i.e Down syndrome). Context.
Perceptual-cognitive and psychological level (with tendency of persistent behaviors, difficulties in generalizing concepts and skills in knowledge transfer, slowing for processing and encoding information). -> domain
Communicative level (imbalances, semantic problems, slow vocabulary acquisition and reading, phonological…). -> interaction
Personal autonomy (problems related to activities of daily living). -> tutor
High level of boredom!!!

9. Our proposal - EMATIC
About technology?
System was developed using Django 1.X framework (Model-View-Controller software architecture).
Written in Python 2.6 programming language.
Available with MySQL and PostgreSQL database engine.
Responsive interface based on HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript.
It’s based on OPEN SOURCE technology

10. Our proposal - EMATIC
Model-View-Controller software architecture

11. Our proposal - EMATIC
G-ITS Conceptual model

12. Our proposal - EMATIC
Domain model’s module
It contains the knowledge of the subject, rules and relations among the concepts.
Concepts of logic, numbers and operators ,operations, problems and algorithms.
Setting of different types of activities (classification, relationships, mapping, quantifiers, counting, recognition, ordering…)

13. Our proposal - EMATIC
Student model’s module
It stores all the information about pupils (knowledge, preferences, learning styles).
Student profile + student records (interaction) -> strategy adaptation.
Facilitates the processing of the interaction data for cognitive reasoning during tasks (student knowledge state).
It includes game aesthetics (desirable emotional responses evoked by the player).

14. Our proposal - EMATIC
Tutor model’s module
It contains the knowledge about teaching strategies (problem-solving, bug- based tutoring, tutorial dialogue...). taking into account the information of student module.
The components of tutoring module can be:
Objects: explanations, examples, hints, counter examples, quizzes, questions…
Actions: test, summarizes, describes, defines, demonstrates….
Tasks: teach step by step, ask students, move on, go to topic…
Gamification mechanics (challenges) and dynamics (procedures) elements are closely related to this module.

15. Our proposal - EMATIC
Execution module
It saves modes, methods, and technology to support trainee interaction.
Randomly exercise generation based on student interaction and teaching strategies defined in tutor’s module .
Stores all data interaction by solving tasks in order to determine and infer the reasoning performed by the child during the task thanks tutor’s module (result).
This module includes several aspects of gamification elements (rewards, points, time, level,…).

16. Our proposal - EMATIC
Authoring module
The setting up of an activity consist on the particular definition of a type of activity in the system. (i.e. enable audio, speech agent, maximum time, number of attempts, dates).
This module includes a designer gallery (game components designer).
Individual or group personalization activities.

17. Our proposal - EMATIC
Management module
Teacher can create and manage their students and groups.
Visualization module
It includes a data visualization model for the specialists that provides them a tool for discovering interesting pattern (learning difficulties, behaviors, game feedbacks) thanks to learning analytics (individual and groups).

18. Our proposal - EMATIC
User interface (scenarios)

19. Conclusions
It have been shown a G-ITS in order to improve student achievement and enhance learning.
This proposal includes game elements to an ITS model and aims to enhance the motivation and learning of elementary mathematics in children with SEN.
It’s possible to model the cognitive stated and discover learning pattern based on the intelligent processing of data collections from the interactions.

20. Further work
Currently
Development and deployment in the context.
Validation of this conceptual module as a case of study.
Testing several frameworks of gamification (gamification cloud services).
Future
Create “native” mobile apps using the current Web technologies.
Greater power of learning analytics.
Upgrade intelligence system (diversity SEN people)

21. Thank you for your interest…
Alberto Mora Carreño Departamento de Ingeniería Informática y de Sistemas Universidad de La Laguna. Tenerife CP: 38204. España Email: amoracar@ull.edu.es Twitter: @amoracarreno