George Mason University Intelligent Educator
Date
2003
Authors
Oguejiofor, Emeka
Kicinger, Rafal P.
Popovici, Elena
Arciszewski, Tomasz
De Jong, Kenneth A.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Millpress Science Publishers
Abstract
Engineering education is undergoing significant changes, mostly driven by the ongoing Information Technology Revolution. One of the most promising technologies becoming available to educators is that of intelligent software agents. Such agents can be used in building tutoring systems, which in this way become intelligent in terms of knowledge content, their ability to learn (acquire knowledge), and to adapt to the needs and learning preferences of their users. The paper discusses the development of a prototype intelligent tutoring system, called "George Mason University Intelligent Educator." It has been built as a result of a complex process in which various software development tools have been used in a novel way, including ConceptMap, Protégé2000, Macromedia Flash and JRun. The reported research is part of a NASA-sponsored project in the area of engineering education called "Hierarchical Learning Network" and is coordinated by the Old Dominion University in Virginia. The primary objective of the research at George Mason University is to develop a methodology for building intelligent tutoring systems and to demonstrate its feasibility. First, the paper provides a brief description of the process that was used for knowledge acquisition and its representation in the form of an ontology. The description includes examples from the area of personal air vehicles. Next, the development process for the proposed intelligent tutoring system is presented, along with a discussion of the integration of various software development tools. Finally, the initial research conclusions and plans for further research are discussed.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Oguejiofor, E., Kicinger, R., Popovici, E., Arciszewski, T., and De Jong, K. A. (2003). "George Mason University Intelligent Educator." Innovative Developments in Architecture, Engineering and Construction. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Innovation in Architecture, Engineering and Construction, Loughborough University, UK, 25 - 27 June 2003, C. J. Anumba, ed., Millpress Science Publishers, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 355-366.