Affiliations: Dept. of Computer Sciences, ITESM Campus Laguna, Paseo
del Tecnológico #751, Col. Ampliación la Rosita,
Torreón, Coah. 27250, México.
aconstan@campus.lag.itesm.mx | Dept. of Information and Computer Sciences, University
of Hawai`i at Manoa, 1680 East West Road, POST 309, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA.
suthers@hawaii.edu; http://lilt.ics.hawaii.edu/ | Educational Technology and Information Department
ITESM - Virtual University, Av. Eugenio Garza Sada 2501 sur, Edificio Cedes
Semisótano 1, 64849 Monterrey N.L., México.
jescamil@campus.ruv.itesm.mx
Abstract: This paper describes the design and evaluation of COLER, a coach
that helps students collaborate while solving Entity Relationship modelling
problems. Unlike previous work generally emphasizing dialogue analysis or
expert models, this work evaluates a new approach to supporting collaboration
that identifies learning opportunities based on differences between problem
solutions and tracking levels of participation. The contribution made by these
and other knowledge sources in the generation of collaboration advice was
evaluated by comparing expert rankings of advice to the software coach's
rankings, and by identifying the advice that would be lost if each respective
knowledge source were removed. Results show that good quality advice can be
obtained through these knowledge sources, although other knowledge sources may
fill in gaps relative to the expert's performance. This work demonstrates how
intelligent agents can produce reasonable collaboration advice in domains for
which structured problem solutions exist by using a few basic knowledge
sources, and illustrates several methods of evaluating the knowledge and
reasoning of complex knowledge-based system.
