Sketch Recognition Algorithms for Comparing Complex and Unpredictable Shapes

Field, Martin; Valentine, Stephanie; Linsey, Julie; Hammond, Tracy

doi:10.5591/978-1-57735-516-8/IJCAI11-406

Sketch Recognition Algorithms for Comparing Complex and Unpredictable Shapes

Martin Field, Stephanie Valentine, Julie Linsey, Tracy Hammond

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Proceedings of the Twenty-Second International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence. Pages 2436-2440.

https://doi.org/10.5591/978-1-57735-516-8/IJCAI11-406

Abstract

In an introductory engineering course with an annual enrollment of over 1000 students, a professor has little option but to rely on multiple choice exams for midterms and finals. Furthermore, the teaching assistants are too overloaded to give detailed feedback on submitted homework assignments. We introduce Mechanix, a computer-assisted tutoring system for engineering students. Mechanix uses recognition of freehand sketches to provide instant, detailed, and formative feedback as the student progresses through each homework assignment, quiz, or exam. Free sketch recognition techniques allow students to solve free-body diagram and static truss problems as if they were using a pen and paper. The same recognition algorithms enable professors to add new unique problems simply by sketching out the correct answer. Mechanix is able to ease the burden of grading so that instructors can assign more free response questions, which provide a better measure of student progress than multiple choice questions do.

Martin Field, Stephanie Valentine, Julie Linsey, and Tracy Hammond. 2011. Sketch Recognition Algorithms for Comparing Complex and Unpredictable Shapes. In Proceedings of the Twenty-Second International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, IJCAI-11. IJCAI, 2436–2440. https://doi.org/10.5591/978-1-57735-516-8/IJCAI11-406

@inproceedings{ijcai2011p406,
  title     = {Sketch Recognition Algorithms for Comparing Complex and Unpredictable Shapes},
  author    = {Field, Martin and Valentine, Stephanie and Linsey, Julie and Hammond, Tracy},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of the Twenty-Second International Joint Conference on
               Artificial Intelligence, {IJCAI-11}},
  publisher = {AAAI Press/International Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence},
  editor    = {Toby Walsh},
  pages     = {2436--2440},
  year      = {2011},
  month     = {7},
  doi       = {10.5591/978-1-57735-516-8/IJCAI11-406},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.5591/978-1-57735-516-8/IJCAI11-406},
}

TY  - CPAPER
TI  - Sketch Recognition Algorithms for Comparing Complex and Unpredictable Shapes
AU  - Field, Martin
AU  - Valentine, Stephanie
AU  - Linsey, Julie
AU  - Hammond, Tracy
T2  - Proceedings of the Twenty-Second International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, IJCAI-11
PB  - AAAI Press/International Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence
PY  - 2011
SP  - 2436
EP  - 2440
DO  - 10.5591/978-1-57735-516-8/IJCAI11-406
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