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ExplorAI Research Group
ExplorAI is a research group led by Dr. Vanessa Figueiredo in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Regina. Our work focuses on designing human-centred intelligent systems that adapt to the cognitive abilities, needs, personal interests, and individual journeys of users.
We design technologies that enhance teaching and learning in K-12, trade, higher education, and informal learning environments. We also develop systems to enrich user engagement and gaming experiences, ensuring that interactions are both accessible and enjoyable.
A core part of our mission is to simplify user experiences, making technology intuitive and accessible, particularly for individuals with little to no technical background.
Our research takes a human-centred approach, collaborating closely with end-users to understand how they interact with technology in real-world contexts. To achieve this, we employ a wide range of methodologies, including qualitative fieldwork and controlled experiments.
Are you interested in joining us? Visit the Join us page to learn more about opportunities for prospective students and postdoctoral fellows.
Research Projects
Procedural content generation for games
Procedural content generation for games involves creating game elements—such as characters, stories, and dialogues—using automated methods to make gameplay more dynamic and immersive.
This project explores methods for leveraging LLMs to enrich game experiences by generating immersive game lore, dynamic non-player characters (NPCs), and detailed background stories for these NPCs.
Our research focuses on developing techniques that use NPCs' background stories and personalities to create settings and dialogues that align with their character traits. We have also devised methods to enhance persistent conversation history, enabling NPCs to revisit previous dialogues and generate responses that connect seamlessly with past interactions, creating a cohesive and dynamic storytelling experience.
Research assistant: David Elumeze (4th year student, BSc Computer Science, University of Regina).
Intelligent tutoring systems
This project aims to design intelligent tutoring systems that provide personalized learning experiences for students. By leveraging machine learning, we create adaptive systems tailored to students' cognitive abilities, learning interests, and individual goals.
Our research focuses on developing user-friendly interfaces that empower both students and teachers to craft personalized learning experiences. This work is designed to support educational settings ranging from formal and informal learning environments, enhancing learning outcomes and fostering meaningful engagement.
Conversational agents
Conversational agents, such as Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa, have become integral to children's daily lives. While these agents were originally designed to assist users with task automation, children increasingly use them to search for information and complete schoolwork.
However, the current interaction models often fail to promote independent problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Our project addreses this limitation by designing conversation flows that encourage these skills. Our goal is to support collaborative interactions, enabling children and parents to work together on school projects and other learning activities.
Publications
Access Google Scholar for a complete list of publications.
Join us
Are you interested in developing and researching human-centred intelligent systems?
Our research group welcomes students from diverse academic backgrounds who are eager to engage in exploratory research, understand user needs, and evaluate technologies designed to solve real-world problems. Our students are curious, open to learning from users, and inspired to translate their experiences into impactful solutions.
Our work revolves around collaborating with real-life users to create intelligent systems that adapt to their needs, behaviors, and challenges. This means stepping outside your comfort zone to engage with users from various social and cultural groups, gathering insights to design interfaces and features that truly support them.
We are looking for students with a strong foundation in human-computer interaction research methodologies, human-centered design approaches, intelligent systems, or related areas. Our current opportunities are for a project focused on intelligent tutoring systems, and include: one PhD student, two MSc students, and undergraduate summer internships.
If you're interested in joining ExplorAI, please read these guidelines.