Enhancing Statistics Education with Expert Systems: More than an Advisory System

Abstract

This article reports on the results of two studies that investigated the effectiveness of different uses of expert systems in large introductory statistics classes. Three groups of students were compared-those who used an expert system created by the instructor of the course, those who created their own expert system, and those who did not use any at all. The first experiment showed non-significant, but interesting, trends that were explored in the second experiment. In the second experiment, significant differences emerged as the semester evolved in favor of those who used the expert system, regardless of whether or not the students created it themselves. These differences disappeared on the final exam, when technological problems added to the end-of-the-semester tension. These findings support the notion that the use of expert systems in the classroom can have an important impact on the level and amount of learning that occurs. This article describes these two studies in detail and draws some implications for teaching.

Expert System Development Prototype Project

“…Norint sukurti tokią sistemą, studentai turi susipažinti su savo subjektu, suprasti ir pritaikyti žinių bazės principą kompiuterinėje erdvėje. Studentai renka žinias per semestrą ir paskui atvaizduoja jas ekspertinės sistemos moduliu [3]. Turint ekspertinės sistemos apibrėžimą ir panaudojimo pavyzdžių, galima susidaryti bendrą vaizdą apie ekspertines sistemas ir jų praktinį panaudojimą.…”