Authors: Stephanie Valentine, Francisco Vides, George Lucchese, David Turner,
Hong-hoe Kim, Wenzhe Li, Julie Linsey, Tracy Hammond
Citation:http://www.aaai.org/ojs/index.php/aimagazine/article/view/2437
This paper describes about Mechanix which is a sketch-based tutoring and grading system for free-body diagram. It can recognize, correct and provide real-time feedback on a student's sketch that is compared with the instructor-entered key sketch. It is capable of understanding the student sketches and solve students' trusses without an instructor-provided sketch.
There are two modes supported by Mechanix - Student mode and Instructor mode. The interface of student mode contains text at the top center describing the problem, tool panel, checklist providing step-by-step guide to solve the problem, drawing panel, pullout notepad to make notes, equation panel. The system also has a feedback bar. The instructor mode allows instructors to add problem statement in form of simple text and explanatory images. They can also sketch a solution which the system uses to compare the student solutions. Instructors label nodes and forces and Mechanix generates equations and values for reaction forces. One can continually modify and edit their drawings using round menu, buttons and freehand erasure like on pen and paper.
Geometric Recognition is used in Mechanix. It uses bottom-up approach. The various steps involved are preprocessing, primitive recognition to identify basic shapes like lines, arcs or circles and high-level recognition that uses constraints to determine complex shapes from the basic shapes. Mechanix uses cusp detector to identify strokes and a low-level recognizer called PaleoSketch which supports more than 10 basic shapes. Primitive recognition is also used to give visual feedback. For example, shape recognized as forced is changed to lime green indicating student may enter relevant meta data.
Mechanix supports truss diagram, non-truss diagram and creative response problems. Mechanix identifies trusses and compares with the instructor's values to give appropriate feedback. For non-truss body diagrams, a generic closed-shape comparison technique is used to compare student solutions with that of instructor. The other kind of problem that Mechanix supports is Creative response. Here it uses artificial intelligence to check the student-created truss. It creates linear system of equation and a system of equation is formed for each beam in truss. The Mechanix will use the values to compare to a set of constraints that the instructor previously entered and provides feedback.
The system keeps track of log of mistakes that a student commits while solving the problem. The answers are checked in a server to prevent cheating and feedback is sent to the client installed on student device. XML over HTTP is used to transfer data between server and client.
Thoughts:
The idea of having an application that allows students to solve assignments, gives continuous feedback and corrects the solution submitted is very helpful to both students and instructors. It would motivate the students to solve the assignments and instructors don't have to waste time in correcting each student's solution.
The most impressive feature is freehand erasure. The interface is similar to what one would do in real life when one makes a mistake while drawing and has no patience to use eraser. Other idea that I think are pretty cool are that of visual feedback(changing of the color of the force to get student's input value of force).
Hong-hoe Kim, Wenzhe Li, Julie Linsey, Tracy Hammond
Citation:http://www.aaai.org/ojs/index.php/aimagazine/article/view/2437
This paper describes about Mechanix which is a sketch-based tutoring and grading system for free-body diagram. It can recognize, correct and provide real-time feedback on a student's sketch that is compared with the instructor-entered key sketch. It is capable of understanding the student sketches and solve students' trusses without an instructor-provided sketch.
There are two modes supported by Mechanix - Student mode and Instructor mode. The interface of student mode contains text at the top center describing the problem, tool panel, checklist providing step-by-step guide to solve the problem, drawing panel, pullout notepad to make notes, equation panel. The system also has a feedback bar. The instructor mode allows instructors to add problem statement in form of simple text and explanatory images. They can also sketch a solution which the system uses to compare the student solutions. Instructors label nodes and forces and Mechanix generates equations and values for reaction forces. One can continually modify and edit their drawings using round menu, buttons and freehand erasure like on pen and paper.
Geometric Recognition is used in Mechanix. It uses bottom-up approach. The various steps involved are preprocessing, primitive recognition to identify basic shapes like lines, arcs or circles and high-level recognition that uses constraints to determine complex shapes from the basic shapes. Mechanix uses cusp detector to identify strokes and a low-level recognizer called PaleoSketch which supports more than 10 basic shapes. Primitive recognition is also used to give visual feedback. For example, shape recognized as forced is changed to lime green indicating student may enter relevant meta data.
Mechanix supports truss diagram, non-truss diagram and creative response problems. Mechanix identifies trusses and compares with the instructor's values to give appropriate feedback. For non-truss body diagrams, a generic closed-shape comparison technique is used to compare student solutions with that of instructor. The other kind of problem that Mechanix supports is Creative response. Here it uses artificial intelligence to check the student-created truss. It creates linear system of equation and a system of equation is formed for each beam in truss. The Mechanix will use the values to compare to a set of constraints that the instructor previously entered and provides feedback.
The system keeps track of log of mistakes that a student commits while solving the problem. The answers are checked in a server to prevent cheating and feedback is sent to the client installed on student device. XML over HTTP is used to transfer data between server and client.
Thoughts:
The idea of having an application that allows students to solve assignments, gives continuous feedback and corrects the solution submitted is very helpful to both students and instructors. It would motivate the students to solve the assignments and instructors don't have to waste time in correcting each student's solution.
The most impressive feature is freehand erasure. The interface is similar to what one would do in real life when one makes a mistake while drawing and has no patience to use eraser. Other idea that I think are pretty cool are that of visual feedback(changing of the color of the force to get student's input value of force).
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