Real/virtual classmates in an asynchronous distant learning environment

Online real/virtual classrooms/schools will play a more important role in the society of the future. Especially, an anytime/anywhere learning environment, which allows learners to participate in a classroom via networks, is one of the most focused theme of this research field. In such a trend of these networked learning environments, the authors have already proposed a new concept for the asynchronous virtual classroom that combines online learning materials with both asynchronous communication tools and software agents. The software agents, which are simulated classmates in a classroom situation, act for real learners by means of utilizing past activities of past learners. In addition to such agents' behavior as semi-real classmates, they could be configured as purely virtual classmates by a lecturer, too. Now that they reconsidered and reconfigured a flexible architecture for software agents, this paper reports its basic design and an application for agent-based classmates in asynchronous learning scenario.