Providing smart objects with intelligent tutoring capabilities by semantic technologies

Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) are software systems for human learning and training. Promising works integrate ITS and game environments in order to use both the pedagogical soundness of traditional ITS and the engagement power of games. Such integration could be more effective embedding these systems into the Internet of Things. The main result of this work is the definition of an ontology-based framework supporting the construction of physical-digital game-based ITS implemented as smart objects. The overall framework relies on the paradigms of the Semantic Web technologies. The above capabilities allow to decouple the ITS from the specific characteristics of the used sensors (e.g., camera, capacitive touch, infrared). Such framework provides scalability (in terms of number and complexity of sensors) and good flexibility with respect to the changing of: environment, learning experience, interaction, narrative, game. Lastly, these features will be shown by implementing a case study on educational games for 5-6 years old children.