Simple Expert Systems for Computer Assisted Instruction

Abstract

This paper describes a simple expert system that has been developed to assist lecturers in teaching specific groups of management students. To enable comparisons to be made, two versions of the system were built: one in Prolog and the other in an inexpensive expert system shell. The system was designed to relieve lecturers by providing answers and explanations for examination questions in the area of standard costing. The initial intention of producing an expert system was subtly revised so that a knowledge base, with an explanation facility which matched lecturers’ approaches to explaining was finally implemented. The paper shows that such simple systems can be developed by lecturers for their own use, although there are limitations, especially in the knowledge which can be captured.

Testing of the system in practice has shown benefits in terms of reduced lecturer load and positive responses from students. This indicates that it is possible to achieve significant gains against modest inputs within a short period of time if the system is designed to meet educational objectives for suitable groups of students. The paper shows that integrating simple expert systems into the education process can be beneficial when the technology is adapted to match the educational requirements.