The architecture of Agent-Based Intelligent Tutoring System for the learning of software engineering Function Point Metrics

The Agent-Based Intelligent Tutoring System is developed to fulfill the needs for effective tutorial tool that can be adapted to the needs and characteristics of software engineering students. Specifically, it is expected to help learners understand function point metrics, a subtopic in software engineering metrics syllabus. This intelligent tutor allows student to perform function point analysis in an environment that provides visualization, immediate feedback, interactive and guided help. The intelligent component for this system comes from the ability to adapt course module and needs for individual user. Thus adaptation is being done by modeling the expert's and student's knowledge. The essential part of an interactive and intelligent system is the interface that allows knowledge to be added to the system. Intelligent agent is embedded into the tutoring system, allowing the agent to use the added knowledge to answer questions and solve problem in function point metrics domain. The aim of the system is to enhance the learners' knowledge to a better level of subject matter understanding and enhance the delivery of domain knowledge from the subject matter expert. This paper introduces the architecture for agent-based Intelligent Tutoring System which uses Function Point Metrics as the domain knowledge. Generally the development of this system follows the agent oriented software engineering life cycle which comprise of specification, design implementation and verification. In particular, the design phase is discussed in this paper. The architecture introduces three components, the Learner Module, the Domain Module and the Tutoring Module. The ITS includes three agents, User Interface Style Agent, Log Agent, Practice Agent. The system is expected to enhance the learners learning level and enhance the teaching for the subject matter expert.