Benjamin Bell

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide Online, Adjunct

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Gale Bishop

Georgia Southern University

Advanced Distributed Learning

Alyssa Martin

Troy University

Paul Darvasi, PhD

York University

Trent Hergenrader

Rochester Institute of Technology

Urthona Hunter

Caroline "Caro" Williams

SUNY: University at Albany

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Papers by Benjamin Bell

Work-centered Infomediary Layer (WIL): An architecture for adaptive interfaces

by Benjamin Bell and Wayne Zachary

Active interfaces that act as infomediaries between underlying systems and their human users offe... more Active interfaces that act as infomediaries between underlying systems and their human users offer a rich and comprehensive solution to the pervasive problem of (lack of) usability in computer-based work environments. However, they also pose a substantial technological challenge. The paper describes a novel work-centered active interface architecture, called the Workcentered Infomediary Layer (WIL). This architecture allows interfaces to actively identify and offer highly customized work support to the system user without employing any intent inference mechanism. Instead, WIL relies on its ability to build and maintain an internal representation of the work context, and to offer support to the user based on their common relationship to the underlying work situation.

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Authoring Virtual Gallery Environments via Task-Specific Tools I

We introduce an architecture for constructivist learning that engages students in the task of cre... more We introduce an architecture for constructivist learning that engages students in the task of creating individual exhibitions by drawing from objects in an online collection. This "Virtual Gallery" framework allows students to create 3-dimensional exhibits that can be publicly shared. To assist educators in creating such environments, we are constructing a special-purpose authoring environment called VG-Maker. We present an exemplar Virtual Gallery application and the VG- Maker tool it inspired.

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Using Autonomous Agents to Improve Efficiency and Robustness in Slow, Unreliable Networks

A number of environmental factors commonly present in military and particularly tactical military... more

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Enhancing Teamwork Through Team-Level Intent Inference

Applications that have access to user intent and task context can support better, faster decision... more Applications that have access to user intent and task context can support better, faster decision-making on the part of the user. In this paper, we present AUTOS, an approach to the implementation of individual and team intent inference. AUTOS uses observable contextual clues to infer current operator task state and predict future task state. Guided by the concepts of activity theory, AUTOS task models can be hierarchically organized to infer team intent. To illustrate some of the properties of AUTOS technology, we describe our ongoing work in team intent inference with a prototype system embedded in a demonstration application for a military domain.

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Performance Gains from Speech-enhanced Simulation in Military FlyingTraining

by Benjamin Bell and Winston Bennett

Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation, 2010

Flight simulation is a proven technique for training technical and procedural skills, but team sk... more Flight simulation is a proven technique for training technical and procedural skills, but team skills present needs that remain unmet by simulator technology. Communication and coordination, two skills representative of this gap, are typically incorporated into simulation via human role players, a practice that entails cost, introduces variation, and can compromise availability of training. In this article we explore the

Context Knowledge and Search Control Issues in Object-Oriented Prolog-Based Image Understanding

European Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 1990

Bell, B. and L.F. Pau, Context knowledge and search control issues ill object-oriented Prolog-bas... more

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The Goal-Based Scenario Builder: Experiences with Novice Instructional Designers

Creating educational software generally requires a great deal of computer expertise, and as a res... more Creating educational software generally requires a great deal of computer expertise, and as a result, educators lacking such knowledge have largely been excluded from the design process. Recently, researchers have been designing tools for automating some aspects of building instructional applications. These tools typically aim for generality, resulting in interfaces with limited, generic styles. An alternative, appropriate for more complex, interactive software, is to provide tools with special purpose task models. A prototype authoring tool for interactive educational software, called Goal-Based Scenario Builder, is illustrated, and a mode of interaction called Guided Case Adaptation is described. Goal-Based Scenarios (GBS) provides an engaging task through which learners can master a set of target skills. This case-based approach to software design involves the user, and creates an interactive dialogue in which the program and designer collaboratively apply adaptations to a retrie...

Authoring Virtual Gallery environments via task-specific tools

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In Proc. of the 11th Conf on Computer Generated Forces and Behavioral Representation, May, 2002, Orlando FL

by Eugene Santos and Benjamin Bell

Military and domestic security analysts and planners are facing threats whose asymmetric nature w... more Military and domestic security analysts and planners are facing threats whose asymmetric nature will sharply increase the challenges of establishing an adversary's intent. This complex environment will severely limit the capabilities of the classic doctrinal approach to diagnose adversary activity. Instead, a more dynamic approach is required - adversary decision modeling (ADM) - that, while a critical capability, poses a range of daunting technological challenges. We are developing methodologies and tools that represent a tractable approach to ADM using intelligent software-based analysis of adversarial intent. In this paper we present work being performed by our team (University of Connecticut, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories, and the Air Force Research Laboratory Human Effectiveness Directorate) toward a preliminary composite theory of adversary intent and its descriptive models, to provide a coherent conceptual foundation for addressing adversary decision pr...

Game environments for non-kinetic skills: when "train as we fight" goes beyond fighting

Simulation is facing new challenges brought on by urgent training needs in areas that stretch the... more Simulation is facing new challenges brought on by urgent training needs in areas that stretch the capabilities offered by conventional simulation techniques. Training for non-kinetic skills such as cultural awareness, communication and team coordination is increasingly important but is seldom adequately addressed by simulation. We will postulate some of the reasons why and propose some specific approaches that extend the reach of simulation, employing interactive synthetic teammates, in directions that directly address unmet training needs. We will show specific examples of our approaches that are solving tangible training problems and discuss how this approach can be broadly applied across a spectrum of training settings. We present a systematic approach to creating training of sufficient cognitive fidelity to provide training benefits that extend well beyond what is capable with limited, scripted scenarios, and present three example demonstrations of this approach in different tra...

Semantics and Pedagogy in Authoring Educational Technology: Confronting the Mismatch between Researchers’ Expectations and Users’

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 1998

ABSTRACT As technological approaches to instruction become more widely available (and expected), ... more ABSTRACT As technological approaches to instruction become more widely available (and expected), developers have turned to authoring tools as a solution to two classic problems: (1) how can software be produced more easily and rapidly; (2) how can teacher practitioners and instructional designers create sophisticated, technology-enhanced curriculum materials without relying on computer programmers and researchers? Research in educational technology has led to constructivist and situated-inspired paradigms such as Anchored Instruction and Goal-Based Scenarios, yet few authoring tools have emerged that would help a designer create examples of these paradigms. Recently, however, researchers have been engaged in creating authoring environments that adhere to explicit models of instruction and that assist/cajole/coerce users in adhering to those models. One early result from these experiences has been the variation in the degree to which tool users are willing to adhere to the suggestions of the authoring tool. As a consequence, users create artifacts that may lie beyond the expectations of the tools’ creators. Some issues to explore in this regard are: How can the semantics of a tool be effectively expressed? What is a “Goal”? A “Scenario”? A “Project”? How can we scaffold tool users in creating materials that both fit their needs and are aligned with the instructional models and goals of the creators of the tool? What should a tool “know” about instruction? It’s domain? How flexible should a special-purpose tool be? How “special-purpose” should we be aiming for?

Training in judgement & aeronautical decision-making

19th DASC. 19th Digital Avionics Systems Conference. Proceedings (Cat. No.00CH37126), 2000

ABSTRACT Not Available

Intelligent tutoring with dumb software

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 1992

Recent work in the learning sciences seeks to apply theories from education, artificial intellige... more

Listen-Communicate-Show (LCS)

Proceedings of the first international conference on Human language technology research - HLT '01, 2001

ABSTRACT Listen-Communicate-Show (LCS) is a new paradigm for human interaction with data sources.... more ABSTRACT Listen-Communicate-Show (LCS) is a new paradigm for human interaction with data sources. We integrate a spoken language understanding system with intelligent mobile agents that mediate between users and information sources. We have built and will demonstrate an application of this approach called LCS-Marine. Using LCS-Marine, tactical personnel can converse with their logistics system to place a supply or information request. The request is passed to a mobile, intelligent agent for execution at the appropriate database. Requestors can also instruct the system to notify them when the status of a request changes or when a request is complete. We have demonstrated this capability in several field exercises with the Marines and are currently developing applications of this technology in new domains.

Methodologies for Tutoring in Procedural Domains

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 1998

There are more and more computer-based training and tutoring systems each year. In this panel, we... more

The Use of ‘War Stories’ in Intelligent Learning Environments

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 1998

Stories occupy a central role in training and instruction, and in many professional contexts is a... more Stories occupy a central role in training and instruction, and in many professional contexts is an intrinsic element in the enculturation and education of novice practitioners. &quot;War stories&quot; are valuable pieces of information that experienced mentors share with trainees, and when ...

<title>Human error modeling in computer-generated forces: a team coordination analysis tool</title>

Enabling Technologies for Simulation Science VII, 2003

ABSTRACT Understanding interactions among team members is critical for developing effective team-... more ABSTRACT Understanding interactions among team members is critical for developing effective team-level training systems and for designing responsive decision support technologies. Communications among team members under exposure to various stressors is a research area that has received substantial experimental attention. Sustained access to human subjects, though, poses problems given the great demands on skilled practitioners&quot; time. An approach to reducing reliance on human subjects while creating flexible research opportunities is to create a suite of human behavioral models, each representing a member of a team, and expose those models to various sources of stress in order to observe the response of each model and the overall patterns of team behavior. We present results of a preliminary effort in adopting this approach using Team Interaction Analysis with Reusable Agents (TIARA), an implementation platform for modeling interactive behaviors and human decision processes in stressful conditions. The current instantiation of TIARA models mission crew positions within the E2-C airborne early warning aircraft and allows for variable proficiency levels in one crew member. We describe our framework for controlling various stressors confronting the simulated crew and summarize our preliminary analysis of team behaviors and communication patterns arising from (1) the presence of those stressors; and (2) proficiency of the variable crew member.

Teachers in charge

Conference companion on Human factors in computing systems - CHI '95, 1995

ABSTRACT We describe Goal-Based Scenario Builder, a prototype model-based authoring tool for mult... more

Crew intent-inference: a human factors approach to flight deck automation and decision support

Digital Avionics Systems, 2001. DASC. 20th …, 2001

... Springer-Verlag. [9] Malone, T. and Crowston, K. (1990). What is coordination theory and how ... more

Enhancing Team Training and Performance With Automated Performance Assessment Tools

by Benjamin Bell and John Deaton

The International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 2007

... automated performance assessment tools. Deaton, John E.; Bell, Benjamin; Fowlkes, Jennifer; B... more

Work-centered Infomediary Layer (WIL): An architecture for adaptive interfaces

by Benjamin Bell and Wayne Zachary

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Authoring Virtual Gallery Environments via Task-Specific Tools I

Download

Using Autonomous Agents to Improve Efficiency and Robustness in Slow, Unreliable Networks

A number of environmental factors commonly present in military and particularly tactical military... more

Download

Enhancing Teamwork Through Team-Level Intent Inference

Download

Performance Gains from Speech-enhanced Simulation in Military FlyingTraining

by Benjamin Bell and Winston Bennett

Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation, 2010

Context Knowledge and Search Control Issues in Object-Oriented Prolog-Based Image Understanding

European Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 1990

Bell, B. and L.F. Pau, Context knowledge and search control issues ill object-oriented Prolog-bas... more

Download

The Goal-Based Scenario Builder: Experiences with Novice Instructional Designers

Authoring Virtual Gallery environments via task-specific tools

Download

In Proc. of the 11th Conf on Computer Generated Forces and Behavioral Representation, May, 2002, Orlando FL

by Eugene Santos and Benjamin Bell

Game environments for non-kinetic skills: when "train as we fight" goes beyond fighting

Semantics and Pedagogy in Authoring Educational Technology: Confronting the Mismatch between Researchers’ Expectations and Users’

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 1998

Training in judgement & aeronautical decision-making

19th DASC. 19th Digital Avionics Systems Conference. Proceedings (Cat. No.00CH37126), 2000

ABSTRACT Not Available

Intelligent tutoring with dumb software

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 1992

Recent work in the learning sciences seeks to apply theories from education, artificial intellige... more

Listen-Communicate-Show (LCS)

Proceedings of the first international conference on Human language technology research - HLT '01, 2001

Methodologies for Tutoring in Procedural Domains

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 1998

There are more and more computer-based training and tutoring systems each year. In this panel, we... more

The Use of ‘War Stories’ in Intelligent Learning Environments

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 1998

<title>Human error modeling in computer-generated forces: a team coordination analysis tool</title>

Enabling Technologies for Simulation Science VII, 2003

Teachers in charge

Conference companion on Human factors in computing systems - CHI '95, 1995

ABSTRACT We describe Goal-Based Scenario Builder, a prototype model-based authoring tool for mult... more

Crew intent-inference: a human factors approach to flight deck automation and decision support

Digital Avionics Systems, 2001. DASC. 20th …, 2001

... Springer-Verlag. [9] Malone, T. and Crowston, K. (1990). What is coordination theory and how ... more

Enhancing Team Training and Performance With Automated Performance Assessment Tools

by Benjamin Bell and John Deaton

The International Journal of Aviation Psychology, 2007

... automated performance assessment tools. Deaton, John E.; Bell, Benjamin; Fowlkes, Jennifer; B... more

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