CS 410 Top: Spoken Language Interfaces

Credit Hours:	4
Course Coordinator:	N/A
Course Description:	Prepare students to design, construct, and evaluate spoken language applications. Analyze when speech applications are appropriate and when they are not. Write speech grammars, prompts, and event handlers. Design system-directed and mixed initiative dialogs. Apply languages for implementing speech applications. Test speech applications for performance and usability.
Prerequisites:	Understanding of HTML or XHTML.
Goals:	Prepare students to design, construct, and evaluate spoken language applications.
Textbooks:	The VoiceXML Guide, a CD-based self-paced study guide and reference to speech applications (available from the instructor)
References:	None.
Major Topics:	How to enable the computer to listen to the user's speech by creating grammars that guide a speech recognizer. How to enable the computer to speak to users by preparing textual prompts which are converted to speech by a speech synthesizer or are prerecorded by a professional voice actor. How to write error handlers that deal with events such as no response by the user, unrecognizable words, and help. How to design and implement dialogs controlling the exchange of information between users and computers. How to choose the appropriate speech dialog style and implement the style using VoiceXML and SALT languages. How to create new speech applications by reusing pieces of existing speech applications. How to measure performance and preference metrics for speech applications.
Laboratory Exercises:	Three projects each taking about three weeks.

CAC Category Credits	Core	Advanced
Data Structures	0.25
Algorithms	0.25
Software Design	0.25	0.25
Computer Architecture
Programming Languages	1.0	1.0

Oral and Written Communications:	Every student is required to submit at least three written reports (not including exams, tests, quizzes, or commented programs) of typically five pages. Each student is required to make one or more presentations explaining and demonstrating one of his/her projects.
Social and Ethical Issues:	One hour discussion of using speech in the workplace, including noise pollution, and security concerns and how to overcome them.
Theoretical Content:	One hour discussion about the theory of voice user interfaces.
Problem Analysis:	Students are expected to design speech solutions to three problems. This effort is approximately 25% of the course.
Solution Design:	Students are expected to implement, test, and demonstrate speech solutions to three problems. This effort is approximately 50% of the course.