ORIENTMAN: an intelligent tutor for the ORIENT software development methodology

Presents ORIENTMAN, an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) that teaches the ORIENT (Object-oRiented Integrated ENvironmenT) methodology for object-oriented analysis and design. This methodology has already been implemented in the ORIENT CASE toolset, which was designed to support and automate the system development process using a complete object-oriented approach (from analysis to construction-generation). ORIENTMAN has been developed using GENITOR (GENerator of Intelligent TuTORing applications), an ITS generator that supports the design, implementation, evaluation and revision of ITSs that specialise in methodology training. It is a stand-alone training application that combines the features of a computer coach and a gaming environment in simulation-based training. It guides the trainees through a three-stage training cycle: the first stage trains them, with the use of an expert system, in the structure of the ORIENT methodology; the second stage presents, under the control of another expert system, supporting and explanatory information on the application of the methodology; and the third stage supports the self-evaluation of the acquired skills. ORIENTMAN has already been put in use, with encouraging results, as a companion training tool that will help ORIENT users in understanding and applying the ORIENT methodology