Real-World Implementation and Integration of an Automatic Scoring System for Workplace Safety Courses in Italian

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing techniques can have a very significant impact on the e-learning sector, with the introduction of chatbots, automatic correctors, or scoring systems. However, integrating such technologies into the business environment in an effective way is not a trivial operation, and it not only requires realising a model with good predictive performance, but also it requires the following: (i) a proper study of the task, (ii) a data collection process, (iii) a real-world evaluation of its utility. Moreover, it is also very important to build an entire IT infrastructure that connects the AI system with the company database, with the human employees, the users, etc. In this work, we present a real-world system, based on the state-of-the-art BERT model, which implements an automatic scoring system for open-ended questions written in Italian. More specifically, these questions pertain to the workplace safety courses which every worker must attend by law, often via e-learning platforms such as the one offered by Mega Italia Media. This article describes how our system has been designed, evaluated, and finally deployed for commercial use with complete integration with the other services provided by the company.

State-of-the-Art Future Internet Technology in Italy 2022–2023

“…The e-learning industry may be profoundly influenced by the implementation of natural language processing and artificial intelligence methods, such as chatbots, automated correctors, and scoring systems. In [9], the authors discuss how to effectively integrate such technologies into the business environment; this requires not only the development of a predictive model with high performance, but also the following: (i) an exhaustive examination of the task at hand, (ii) a systematic approach to gathering data, and (iii) an empirical assessment of its practical applicability. Furthermore, it is critical to construct a comprehensive IT infrastructure that establishes connections between the AI system, the organization's database, human employees, users, and more.…”