DBIS

Learning content by heart can be facilitated by the method of Loci. In this mnemonic technique, the learner converts pieces of information into mental imagery. The imagined representations are then anchored in a location. If the learner then traverses a path through this location, the information can be remembered by recalling the mental imagery. However, building a suitable mental environment with a good path and coming up with helpful representations can be challenging for beginners. Hence, the adoption of this memorization method among students is still sparse. To understand the method and practice it, immersive environments in virtual reality can be utilized to construct rooms in which virtual representations can be placed. This visualization can also help during the learning process as placed content is saved on a hard-drive and so, the chosen layout is not lost if the learner still forgets portions of it. The immersive environment can repeatedly be visited to strengthen the memory and to interactively construct the learning content. Apart from this, virtual agents in the form of human avatars can be included in the virtual reality setting. They can lead the learner through the rooms to help with establishing a fixed route through the space. Moreover, they can give further auditory and visual information so that the visual representation of an item can be translated back into the original information.

The emergence of large language models (LLMs), along with recent advances in mixed reality (MR) and virtual reality (VR), enable new opportunities for applying virtual agents in education. These simulated humans can imitate real-life situations and interactions with native speakers, which leads to an immersive and engaging learning experience. Especially in VR, interactions can be simulated with the agents. This way, languages can be learned and practiced in realistic scenarios. The LLM has the potential to overcome the limitations of learning applications with pre-scripted scenarios as the LLM can react dynamically to the learner’s actions and can lead to personalized interactions.

Large Language Models (LLM) can be applied to transform a natural language (NL)-based text input query into a NL-based text answer. A common use case are personal assistants, e.g., for learning activities. In such teaching contexts they can process knowledge recorded in plain text documents, create summarizations, or teach knowledge according to a curriculum. However, interfaces for LLMs are currently text-based chats. This can be enhanced by showing body language, e.g., gestures which support the conveyed content. With the help of desktop-based virtual agents, the chat interface can be turned into a video call where the LLM is personified by an agent which is able to respond with gestures in addition to the output text.

The aim of this thesis is to evaluate and extend a developing ontology of explainable data principles, an ongoing work aimed at establishing a structured framework for Data Explainability in AI systems. The current version of this ontology is in its early stages, primarily focused on defining key principles of Data Explainability and exploring their role in enhancing trust and transparency in AI. This thesis will build on this preliminary work by refining the ontology’s structure, proposing new principles or dimensions where needed, and assessing its applicability across various AI domains to make it a robust foundation for responsible AI deployment.

The aim of this thesis is to extend the existing latency analysis of a psychomotor feedback engine within our existing MLOps pipeline [1] [2]. Building upon preliminary latency estimations, this thesis will focus on systematically evaluating each processing step in the pipeline, assessing both theoretical and practical contributions to the overall latency and throughput. By modeling and analyzing latency sources, the goal is to propose and validate optimization strategies that can improve real-time performance for sensor-based AI applications. A particular emphasis will be placed on the throughput of parallel data processing within the infrastructure to ensure timely and efficient feedback delivery.

This master’s thesis builds on the Psychomotor Feedback Engine (PFE) and the IMPECT framework [1], [2], [3], aiming to improve the graphical user interface that teachers use to implement rules and feedback elements in psychomotor learning.

This thesis aims to address those usability issues by redesigning the teacher interface and integrating the IMPECT framework to introduce a more comprehensive feedback mechanism. The IMPECT framework introduces two core concepts: “feedback cards” and exercise stages. Feedback cards provide structured guidance on how exercises should be performed, while exercise stages break down training into a series of sequential tasks. Together, these elements can create a more dynamic and responsive feedback system, offering learners timely, actionable feedback during their training sessions.

This thesis focuses on developing a Transcriptome-Language Model (TLM) to effectively bridge the modality gap between transcriptomic data and natural language text. You will explore advanced models for transcriptomic data representation, and cross-modal learning techniques aligning transcriptomic and textual modalities. This model will be evaluated in tasks such as zero-shot cell property classification and text generation.

This thesis is co-supervised by Sikander Hayat and Rafael Kramann, Department of Medicine II, University Hospital Aachen.

Please send your application to Yongli Mou, M.Sc. (mou@dbis.rwth-aachen.de) and CC. Dr. Sikander Hayat (shayat@ukaachen.de)