Press Releases
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Al Renshaw
Phone: 1-800-577-9040
e-Mail: Al Renshaw
QUANTUM® RECEIVES $100,000 GRANT FROM
THE NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE TO RESEARCH ACCESSIBLE TUTORING SOFTWARE
FOR BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED STUDENTS
Research Grant Examines Integration
of Quantum's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tutoring Software with Internet-Capable
Screen Access Technologies
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - June 16,
2005, Quantum Simulations, Inc., a developer of artificial intelligence
(AI) tutoring and assessment software, was recently awarded a $100,000
research grant by the National Eye Institute (NEI), a division of
the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to integrate accessibility
for blind and visually impaired students into the Quantum Tutors® for
science and mathematics.
Because the Quantum Tutors® are Internet-based
and equipped with a unique dialogue-driven tool that converses with
students, the software is well-suited for use with synthesized speech
screen access technologies utilized by individuals who are blind or
visually impaired to navigate web sites and access e-mail. To demonstrate
the feasibility of the research, Quantum® will develop a prototype
accessible AI tutoring program for a single chemistry topic that is
capable of passing certification in the National Federation of the
Blind's (NFB) Nonvisual Accessibility Web Application Certification
Program, which will mark the first-ever artificial intelligence tutoring
system that is accessible to the blind. If the six-month study is
successful, Quantum® plans to make all of its Quantum Tutors® for Chemistry
and Applied Mathematics fully accessible within two years.
At a time when there is a pressing need
for improved educational software in science for all students, quality
accessible educational software materials for the blind are virtually
nonexistent. Quantum's AI tutoring software addresses this equity
challenge directly by providing blind students with effective one-on-one
tutoring help where they are free to learn new subjects and solve
problems independently, rather than struggle needlessly with today's
visually-based learning materials.
Just like working with a human tutor,
Quantum's tutoring software allows students to work on any
problem they choose and receive personal guidance, hints and feedback
based on their own work and subject knowledge. Through
the use of patented artificial intelligence technology, the Quantum Tutors® embody the proven teaching practices of an award-winning master
teacher with over 35 years of experience teaching science and mathematics.
As a result, classroom research has shown that the Quantum Tutors®
can improve test scores by as much as 50%. Quantum's products
are piloted and evaluated in schools across the nation by Wexford,
Inc., an independent, non-profit research firm dedicated to ensuring
educational equity and excellence for all students. The aim of the
NIH grant is to use this very same AI technology to deliver the full
power and benefits of the Quantum Tutors® to students who are blind
and visually impaired.
"We congratulate Quantum® for building
products which incorporate nonvisual access from the ground up. Working
with blind consumers through the NFB Jernigan Institute, providing
accessibility in the Quantum® AI Chemistry Tutors will help remove
barriers that limit blind students' opportunities in the sciences,"
states Dr. Betsy Zaborowski, Executive Director at the National Federation
of the Blind Jernigan Institute and collaborating partner on the grant
project.
For research and development of the
new accessible AI technology, Quantum® has teamed with a network of
instructors and partners with extensive experience and expertise in
the educational needs of the blind and visually impaired. Collaborating
partners include:
-
National Federation of the
Blind (www.nfb.org) - the largest and most influential membership
organization of blind people in the United States.
-
American Printing House for
the Blind (www.aph.org) - the world's largest source for
adapted educational and daily living products for people who
are visually impaired.
-
Bartimaeus Group (www.bartsite.com)
- a provider of products, technical solutions and training services
for the blind and visually impaired.
"The methodology being created by Quantum®
and our expert collaborators will have broad impact as we continue
to integrate accessibility into technologies such as our new automatic
grading and assessment tools, incorporate other accessible technologies
such as refreshable Braille output, and expand into new content areas
beyond science and mathematics," comments Dr. Benny Johnson, President
and CEO of Quantum® and developer of the company's AI technology. In
addition, other special-needs groups will benefit from the integration
of voice output technologies into the Quantum Tutors® such as low-ability
readers, students whose primary language is not English and individuals
with other print-related disabilities like dyslexia."
The prototype accessible AI tutor will
be demonstrated by Quantum® at the NFB National Convention, the largest
convention in the world for addressing the special needs of the blind
and visually impaired, held July 2-8, 2005 in Louisville, Kentucky.
About Quantum®
Quantum Simulations, Inc. develops artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring,
assessment and professional development software that empowers teachers
and inspires students from middle school through college to improve
their knowledge and appreciation for the sciences. Teacher tested
and approved by educators across the United States, Quantum's AI software
is proven in research studies to improve comprehension, problem solving
skills and test scores by as much as 50%. Quantum's intelligent tutoring
engines are integrated with existing web-based learning products,
providing a strong competitive edge for distributing partners. A "technology
think tank," Quantum® is funded and supported by the U.S. Department
of Education, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes
of Health. For more information, please visit www.quantumsimulations.com.
About the National Eye Institute
NEI is the Federal government's lead agency for vision research that
leads to sight-saving treatments and plays a key role in reducing
visual impairment and blindness. NIH is an agency of the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services. For more information, visit www.nei.neh.gov.
###
