Measuring students' uncertainty in a tutoring system using agent technology

It is no longer a secret that IT is revolutionising the word at a pace that has never been experienced before. It is also not surprising that the educational system has been amongst the first adopters of this new technology. The way learning takes place today is no longer confined to within the four walls of a classroom. The learner expects a more exciting and effective learning experience whereby he can tap from the full facilities provided by the computer world. New technologies integrated into the education system enhance the access to knowledge and improve the efficiency of knowledge transfer. Agent-based tutoring systems unlike traditional tutoring systems make use of an agent that works continuously and autonomously. The agent is able to learn by experience. They can also communicate and cooperate with other agents to complete their tasks more efficiently. This ensures that the learning process is more personalised, focused and captivating. In this paper, agents are used to create a learning profile for each student so that appropriate questions are provided to them for answering. This avoids wasting the time of more able students and reduces the frustration of weaker students.