Tutorial Testing - Prolog sample

This sample illustrate a knowledge engineering approach for building intelligent tests, and also illustrates an architecture for knowledgebase applications in general.

The idea behind tutorial testing is the test is used to learn what the student knows and doesn't know, and uses that knowledge to point to pertinent tutorial texts and to provide further testing in the problem areas.

Comments in the code provide documentation.

To run the system from the listener:

?- [tutor_test_ui].

yes
?- main.
what's 2 + 5 10
you're confusing + with *
what's 3 + 5 8
good
what's 2 * 5 4
read multiplication chapter

yes
?- main.
what's 2 + 5 6
read addition chapter
what's 3 + 5 15
you're confusing + with *
what's 2 * 5 10
good

yes

The knowledgebase architecture is represented in the file structure:

• tutor_test_ui.pro - A command line user interface to the program. The same logic could be coded in a host language, such as Java or VB, as well. The I/O predicates of the engine are defined in the interface code, so extended predicates in Java or VB could be used for a GUI front-end.
• tutor_test_engine.pro - The reasoning engine for the tutorial test. It asks a question, and then based on the answer decides what to tell the student and what to do next.
• tutor_test_math.pro - A simple math test that illustrates how to develop a test using the tutorial test program.