E-learning and machine perception: in pursuit of human-like interaction in computer-based teaching systems

More and more technological advances offer new paradigms for training, allowing novel forms of teaching and learning to be devised. Unfortunately, however, most e-learning systems are still based on complex procedures and little usable interfaces, which may result in frustrating learning experiences, because of users' lack of computer skills. To reduce such risk it would be helpful to go beyond the standard interface usability, towards more natural ways of providing input to the machine. In this paper we consider the possibility of exploiting vision and speech as intuitive communication channels, to enhance the quality of the interaction between users and e-learning platforms. Through an analysis of current research in the fields of vision-based and speech-based perceptive interfaces, we discuss several application scenarios for e-learning, stressing the important role that such natural communication forms could play in improving the interaction process.