In the second year Japanese course, students used RTA to communicate with each other only in Japanese, an experience not otherwise feasible. In both cases, RTA proved effective in managing dual as well as group interaction. Dialogues preserved from these conversations will aid RTA designers in further refining the user interface of the tool, but it appears to be approaching a level of stability that is ready for further testing. The dialogs will themselves become a part of the ETA resources for future classes. We plan to build on this initial venture by limited beta testing in early 1997, and we hope to further expand dissemination later in the year.
Medical images constitute an early area of investigation for the near-term future.
The full range of RTA applicability remains to be explored. We believe, however, that the concepts are sound, that the overall approach is unique to this date, and that it will be an important contributor to learning strategies in the years to come. Undergraduate and graduate students have volunteered their time on the project, which has to date generated two M.S. theses and a number of term project reports. Inc. We are especially indebted to the following faculty and students who have been particularly active in the project. The project would not have been possible without their collective support.