A Robot System for Personalized Language Education. Implementation and evaluation of a language education system built on a robot

Abstract

As modern computer hardware becomes more affordable, the application areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI) expand and become more feasible to implement efficiently. This aspect opens up opportunities where AI robots can be used to support and improve many areas of human lives. One such area is education, and this thesis project combines AI and education to evaluate whether the results from that union can provide effective education. As a solution, a personalized language education robot that teaches the basics of the Italian language was implemented. The robot collects the user’s movie preferences using verbal communication and uses that information during the study sessions to personalize the learning experience. After implementation, the system has been tested on actual students to evaluate its educational effectiveness. The students filled out questionnaires that asked them whether they thought the system was effective in teaching a language, whether they thought personalization was a motivating factor or not, and they also provided their feedback as to how to improve the system in the future. The results showed that the personalized language education robot was, for the most part, effective in teaching the basics of the Italian language. However, the feedback from the users highlighted some key improvements that may be necessary if such a system were to be utilized to cover a broader subject.