‘Activity in Context’ – Planning to Keep Learners ‘in the Zone’ for Scenario-based Mixed-Initiative Training in Virtual Worlds

Traditional education has often been seen as teacher led, with a predefined body of knowledge in some domain to be conveyed via instruction. But some educators advocate a student driven approach of knowledge construction through experience of the world initiated by exploration. A mixed-initiative approach potentially can retain the best of both forms of education. It means that the various agents can take the lead or initiative in an interaction at appropriate times, in contrast to purely tutor-guided learning or student discovery-based learning. This paper explores how scenario-based training and learning works, and what is the most effective way to support learners in such a context. It seeks to establish a number of “elements” or “influences” involved in supporting mixed-initiative scenario-based training and relate these to principles of game-based learning and experience gained in that field. A number of threads have been brought together in this work:  to study the cognitive psychological foundations for socially situated learning;  to identify effective learning methods relevant to mixed-initiative interaction between agents;  to describe the relationship between cognitive psychological activity models and an AI research-informed conceptual model of activity;  to provide a methodology for how the concepts identified could be utilised in a training-orientated “I-Zone” supported by intelligent systems technology – a virtual space for intelligent scenario-based learning; and  to create, document and demonstrate a resource base for experimentation and potential re-use on projects in this area. This approach takes the form of providing a conceptualisation, describing a methodology and providing a realisation of a virtual space to support scenario-based training in a community context. The work has made available a coherent set of resources and related readings which could form the basis for future collaborative research and student projects. It provides useful inputs to continuing intelligent systems and collaboration focused research on “I-Rooms” – “Virtual Spaces for Intelligent Interaction” – with an emphasis on mixed-initiative support to scenariobased training for emergency responders.