W. Lewis Johnson: Interactive Learning Technologies

May 10, 2007

Dr. Johnson is also the current director of the Center for Advanced Research in Technology for Education at the Information Sciences Institute of the University of Southern California, where he is principal investigator of the Tactical Language project. His work on Tactical Language won him the DARPA's Significant Technical Achievement Award in 2005. He was program co-chair of the International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces in 2003. Dr. Johnson is past president of the International Artificial Intelligence in Education Society, and past chair of the ACM Special Interest Group for Artificial Intelligence. He holds a B.A. in linguistics from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in computer science from Yale University.

Describe the kind of research you conduct, and what has evolved form your work.

I develop interactive learning technologies, particularly artificial intelligence and interactive game technologies. This work has led to the development of the "Tactical Language and Culture Trainer," a videogame for learning foreign language and culture, in which you need to speak the foreign language to play the game.

It is in use by thousands of soldiers and marines to learn Arabic, Pashto, and other languages. This technology has been spun off to a start-up company, Alelo Inc., which in two years has grown to a staff of 30 and annual revenues in the $1-5 million range.

What drives you to continue pursuing this area of study?

Knowledge of foreign language and culture is vitally important, and in my opinion, Americans overall are not very educated in these areas. My goal is to change that, to help people around the world communicate more effectively with people in other cultures.

Describe how your work might impact people's lives, now and in the future. What's the potential societal impact?

Our interactive game-based approach helps a wide range of people quickly acquire foreign language communication skills. Even people who don't have confidence in their ability to learn foreign languages can benefit greatly from it.

How did you come up with the idea?

I've believed for some time that language learning could be greatly facilitated by interactive technologies. Fortunately we were able to obtain funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in order to make it a reality.

Has anyone ever doubted that your idea could work?

Very much so. When we first proposed the project, many thought we were being too ambitious and would be unable to meet our objectives. These same people are not very happy to admit they were proven wrong, and are now our staunch advocates.

What is the next step in the innovation process for you? What kind of help can you use to get there?

Transition to non-military products. Defense research funds can be very helpful in developing innovative technology, but it takes work to adapt military technology to non-military use. In this case there is nothing in our approach that is military-specific, so I am optimistic that we will be able to make the transition and soon offer language and culture learning products to the public.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?

In addition to training in linguistics and computer science, I am also trained as an opera singer, and perform from time in the LA area as time permits. I also own a coffee farm in Hawaii, which sells award-winning coffee over the Internet.

Any tips for aspiring innovators?

What is the most fun you've ever had?

This is my dream project. It's been a lot of fun.