The Design and Implementation Of An Internet-Based Collaborative Learning Agent

Advances in computer applications, particularly the Internet, have created a quest in virtually all areas of human endeavours for the need to exchange knowledge and information; educational management and technology not being an exception. The advent of the Nigerian Open University system demands that the higher education sector in our nation be encouraged to provide more materials and modules online, both as part of distance learning provision and as supplementary aids to learning for campus based courses. Group projects and assignments may be the only way possible to map the lean academic manpower to the student population. One way to achieve this will be to take advantage of software facilities referred to as agents. A software agent aimed at supporting students working on team projects have been developed. It works by prompting team members to input their contributions for a selection of task areas defined for the work at hand. It then saves it in a database for others to be able to view and use. The aim is to enhance collaboration among student teams working on projects both in the online and off line environments. The practical implementation of the project showed a general level of acceptance among students. The Information Technologist Vol.2(1) 2005: 62-7