A Study on Collaborative Learning Environment Assisting Learning by Teaching Problem-Solving Strategies to a Computer Agent

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We tried to construct a collaborative learning environment in which the learners group, in collaboration and assisted by a software agent, works out such plans as they think useful for solving the problems concerned and teaches them to another agent having insufficient knowledge. And in this process the learners are expected to get insight into the problems and construct their knowledge for problem-solving.A collaborative learning platform was implemented as a server process which supports learners' collaborative works and communication via a network. And as the backend process of the server, a Teaching Assistant agent and a mate agent is being implemented. The TA agent is possessed of a repertoire of problem types with explanations to be provided to the learners and also a list of plans for each of the problem types and how to use basic knowledge units.The learners group, via HCI run by client processes, being provided with advices and guidances by the TA agent, collaborates to work o … More ut plans based on the TA agent-provided knowledge and supply them to the mate agent, try to solve the problems in interaction with the mate agent. And the latter can makes use of the plans thereafter for solving other problems. The process realizes the learning-by-teaching metaphor.In order to support efficient acquisition of differentiated usage of different problem-solving plans, we studied a hypothesis to the effect that such an acquisition only takes place by comparing and contrasting different problem-solving episodes. For verifying the hypothesis in the field of electrical circuit theory, a system was implemented in which the database of problems with solutions is indexed by plans and subplans and the learners can retrieve problem-solving episodes with common/different plans.The carried out experiment with students in an electronics engineering course revealed that acquisition takes place only when it is allowed for the learners to observe a multiplicity of solution-episodes through common windows of planning. Less