Title: An ontology for automated scenario-based training

Authors: Marieke M.M. Peeters; Karel Van den Bosch; Mark A. Neerincx; John-Jules Ch. Meyer

Addresses: Department of Intelligent Systems, Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5031, 2600 GA Delft, the Netherlands ' TNO (Dutch Organization for Applied Sciences), Training & Performance Innovations/Perceptual & Cognitive Systems, P.O. Box 23, 3769 ZG Soesterberg, the Netherlands ' TNO (Dutch Organization for Applied Sciences), Training & Performance Innovations/Perceptual & Cognitive Systems, P.O. Box 23, 3769 ZG Soesterberg, the Netherlands ' Department of Information and Computing Sciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.089, 3508 TB Utrecht, the Netherlands

Abstract: An intelligent system for automated scenario-based training (SBT) needs knowledge about the training domain, events taking place in the simulated environment, the behaviour of the participating characters, and teaching strategies for effective learning. This knowledge base should be theoretically sound and should represent the information in a generic, consistent, and unambiguous manner. Currently, there is no such knowledge base. This paper investigates the declarative knowledge needed for a system to reason about training and to make intelligent teaching decisions. A frame-based approach was used to model the identified knowledge in an ontology. The ontology specifies the core concepts of SBT and their relationships, and is applicable across training domains and applications. The ontology was used to develop a critical component of SBT: the scenario generator. It was found that the ontology enabled the scenario generator to develop scenarios that fitted the learning needs and skill level of the trainee. The presented work is an important step towards automated scenario-based training systems.

Keywords: ontology; scenario-based training; SBT; cognitive engineering; reusability; educational games; personalisation; knowledge representation; simulation; declarative knowledge; reasoning; intelligent teaching.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTEL.2014.068354

International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 2014 Vol.6 No.3, pp.195 - 211

Accepted: 08 Oct 2014
Published online: 31 Mar 2015 *

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