Learning support system using agents in E-learning

Abstract

E-learning opportunities for students have become increasingly popular with more and more institutions of higher learning finding the need to start online programs. Much of this increase is attributed to the demands of the learners' audience who are intrigued by online education. Despite the fact that a growing number of universities in Kenya have successfully adopted E-learning, little is still known on how Agents can be used to enhance e-learning. This study aimed to show how Multi - agents can be used in e-learning. The research adopted a cross sectional study targeting university students from St Paul University in Nairobi, Kenya. An Agent oriented methodology known as Prometheus was adopted in the analysis and design of a Multi-agent based system for E-Iearning. The implementation of the Multi - agents was carried out using JADE Agent development kit. This framework opens the way towards any kind of distributed Multi-agent systems, in which the Agents may be used in an E-Iearning environment. Examinations were used for the purpose of evaluating the prototype with students. 70% of the students acknowledged that they would recommend the developed system to others. The research also discovered that the most outstanding benefits Agent based e-learning have on students include improving learning based on performance assessments and learning needs. Additionally, research discovered that the use of intelligent agents to work with the tutor produces the right depth and timely content for the students. In conclusion, the findings of the study highlight the importance of Agents in E-Iearning. It is therefore necessary for higher education institutions to incorporate E-Iearning Agent based environment due to its apparent benefits of efficiency, effectiveness and enhancing of learning.