Search

Abstract: This paper describes a system which incorporates natural language technologies, database manipulation and educational theories in order to offer learners a Negotiated Learner Model, for integration into an Intelligent Tutoring System. The system presents the learner with their learner model, offering them the opportunity to compare their own beliefs regarding their capabilities with those inferred by the system. A conversational agent, or “chatbot” has been developed to allow the learner to negotiate over the representations held about them using natural language. The system aims to support the metacognitive goals of self-assessment and reflection, which are increasingly seen as key to learning and are being incorporated into UK educational policy. The paper describes the design of the system, and reports a user trial, in which the chatbot was found to support users in increasing the accuracy of their self-assessments, and in reducing the number of discrepancies between system and user beliefs in the learner model. Some lessons learned in the development have been highlighted and future research and experimentation directions are outlined. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

There is an extensive body of work on Intelligent Tutoring Systems: computer environments for education, teaching and training that adapt to the needs of the individual learner. Work on personalisation and adaptivity has included research into allowing the student user to enhance the system's adaptivity by improving the accuracy of the underlying learner model. Open Learner Modelling, where the system's model of the user's knowledge is revealed to the user, has been proposed to support student reflection on their learning. Increased accuracy of the learner model can be obtained by the student and system jointly negotiating the learner model. We present the initial investigations into a system to allow people to negotiate the model of their understanding of a topic in natural language. This paper discusses the development and capabilities of both conversational agents (or chatbots) and Intelligent Tutoring Systems, in particular Open Learner Modelling. We describe a Wizard-of-Oz experiment to investigate the feasibility of using a chatbot to support negotiation, and conclude that a fusion of the two fields can lead to developing negotiation techniques for chatbots and the enhancement of the Open Learner Model. This technology, if successful, could have widespread application in schools, universities and other training scenarios. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]