REASY: an AI-based application to provide specific support dyslexic students
Author(s)
Date Issued
2023
Type
conferenceObject
Abstract
Purpose
The use of artificial intelligence has been demonstrated as a viable approach to provide customized
supporting tools for students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD). This poster aims at presenting
an innovative AI-based application that includes several functionalities that allow study material to
be fully digitalized and simplified, concerning both the layout and the understanding. The
application is one of the results of the European project VRAILEXIA, whose aim is to detect, propose
and validate learning strategies and digital tools that could be useful for university students with
dyslexia.
Method
To understand which are the main issues and the most useful methodologies for students with
dyslexia, an ad-hoc self-evaluation questionnaire has been created and made available. Students
are asked to indicate with a score ranged from 0 (no issue/no useful tool) to 5 (very high level of the
issue/very high utility of the tool) the usefulness of each methodology. A total of 1297 volunteers
participated in data collection from Italian universities. Then, basing on the acquired information,
specific support tools has been implemented, relying on robust AI techniques. These have been
finally tested on both dyslexic and non-dyslexic people.
Results
From the data gathered with the questionnaire and the subsequent tests performed, these tools
have been selected as fundamental: (i) digitalizing material; (ii) changing the layout of the text: (iii)
analyzing the meaning of words; (iv) substitute a word with a picture; (v) having concept maps and
summary available, which can be further personalized; (vi) extracting keywords automatically; (vii)
using vocal synthesis. All the functionalities are available in Italian, English, Spanish and French.
Conference(s)
EDA Summer Seminars 2023 - Bridging the Gap between Research, Policies and Practice – Perspectives on dyslexia