The iSocial project proposes to develop a three-dimensional virtual learning environment (3D VLE) for students who have been identified with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Participation in iSocial will enable social interaction and support the development of social competence for participation in both virtual and natural settings. The envisioned system integrates (1) a social space attuned to the capabilities and needs of students identified with ASD, (2) a curriculum of activities and scaffolding for developing social competence, and (3) a networked community for students, parents and teachers to motivate, support and sustain social interaction and progress toward social competence. The key objectives of the project are:

1. To articulate and advance a set of principles and methods to enable and enhance social interaction for the specific population of individuals identified with ASD. The key principles are being developed within frameworks of human to human computer mediated interaction (HHCI) and interventions for youth with ASD.

2. To build a virtual learning environment and associated services to support social interaction and the development of social competence, as well as to be a testbed for continuing research for how this special needs community can more fully participate in the information society. The project leverages an existing community of researchers and practitioners in the field of ASD, prior work in developing a curriculum for building social competence for students with ASD, and existing open source systems for developing 3D virtual worlds and context aware notification for online activity.

3. To build new knowledge through design research methods including comparative studies. The design research approach provides a methodology for both developing innovative systems and examining the implications of design decisions. The comparative studies will examine the impact of design decisions using tools such as eye tracking for micro-analysis and comparative studies of system usage and outcomes for macro-analysis.

4. To integrate the research with ongoing educational graduate programs in Information Science & Learning Technologies and Special Education as well as undergraduate education in Computer Science. The project will disseminate findings to researchers, developers and leaders for research in human-centered computing.