SUPPORTING LEARNING THROUGH ACTIVE RETRIEVAL OF VIDEO STORIES

This paper describes how a computer program can support learning by retrieving and presenting relevant stories drawn from a video case base. Although this is an information retrieval problem, it is not a problem that fits comfortably within the classical IR model of Salton and McGill. In the classical model the computer system is passive: it is assumed that the user will take the initiative to formulate retrieval requests. A reaching system, however, must be able to initiate retrieval and formulate retrieval requests automatically We describe a system, called SPIEL, that performs this type of retrieval, and discuss theoretical challenges addressed in implementing such a system. These challenges include the development of a representation language for indexing the system's video library and the development of set of retrieval strategies and a knowledge base that together allow the system to locate educationally relevant stories.