COLLECT-UML: Supporting Individual and Collaborative Learning of UML Class Diagrams in a Constraint-Based Intelligent Tutoring System

Abstract

Automatic analysis of interaction and support for group learning through a distance collaborative learning system is at the forefront of educational technology. Research shows that collaborative learning provides an environment to enrich the learning process by introducing interactive partners into an educational system. Many collaborative learning environments have been proposed and used with more or less success. Researchers have been exploring different approaches to analyse and support the collaborative learning interaction. However, the concept of supporting peer-to-peer interaction in Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) systems is still in its infancy, and more studies are needed that test the utility of these techniques. This paper proposes anIntelligent CSCL system that uses Constraint-Based Modeling (CBM) approach, to support collaborative learning addressing both collaborative issues and task-oriented issues. The system supports the tertiary students learning Object-Oriented Analysis and Design using UML. The CBM approach is extremely efficient, and it overcomes many problems that other student modeling approaches suffer from [5]. CBM has been used successfully in several tutors supporting individual learning.The comprehensive evaluation studies of this research will provide a measure of the effectiveness of using CBM technique in Intelligent CSCL environments.