The EUROHELP Project (P280)

Time

1984 - 1990

Goal

The construction of a shell for building Intelligent Help Systems for Information Processing Systems (i.e. interactive computer programs).
Using tools and following a methodology, designers of future Help Systems should fill the shell with the information about the specific application (e.g. a text editor, database system, or graphics program).
Help Systems guide users in handling and mastering specific applications by "looking over their shoulder" and interrupting the user or offer help when appropriate, and by answering possible user questions. That is why we can distinguish a 'Question Interpretation'm (passive) and a 'Performance Interpretation' (active) side of an IHS. When either or both of them detect a user's need, the 'Diagnoser' is requested to interpret this need in terms of a lack of knowledge or a misconception on the part of the user. This 'Local Need' ('Local' to distinguish it from more 'global' needs of the user as reflected by the tutoring goals of the IHS) is then fed to the 'Coach', which plans an interaction to meet it.
All modules can make use of two large data structures: the 'Domain Representation', which provides a model of the specific application; and the 'User Model', which reflects the knowledge (correct and incorrect) the user is believed to possess concerning this domain representation.

Partners

CRI/Axion (Denmark)
ICL (UK)
CourseWare Europe (NL)
University of Leeds (UK)
University of Amsterdam (NL)
- Joost Breuker
- Jacobijn Sandberg
- Radboud Winkels
- and Nienke den Haan, Jan van der Laan, Herman Mulder,
  Bert Rengelink

Funding

ESPRIT P280

Some major publications

Breuker, J.A., editor (1990). EUROHELP: Developing Intelligent Help Systems. EC, Copenhagen, 1990. The final report.
The final report is available through anonymous ftp at: ftp://simon.lri.jur.uva.nl/pub/eurohelp/
Pilkington , R.M. (1992). Intelligent Help - Communicating with Knowledge Based Systems. Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd, 1992.
Winkels, R.G.F. & Breuker, J.A. (1993). Automatic generation of optimal learning routes. In P. Brna, S. Ohlsson & H. Pain, editors. World Conference on AI and Education, pages 330-337. AACE, Charlottesville, VA, 1993. A PDF version of the paper can be downloaded here.
R.G.F. Winkels (1992). Modelling Skill Learning. In: F.L. Engel, D.G. Bouwhuis, T. Bösser & G. d'Ydewalle, editors. Cognitive Modelling and Interactive Environments in Language Learning, pages 53-62. NATO ASI Series F: Computer and Systems Sciences, Vol. 87. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1992.
Winkels, R.G.F. (1992). Explorations in Intelligent Tutoring and Help IOS Press, Amsterdam/Tokyo, 1992.
Winkels, R.G.F. & Breuker, J.A. (1990). Discourse planning in intelligent help systems. In C. Frasson and G. Gauthier, editors, Intelligent Tutoring Systems: At the Crossroads of Artificial Intelligence and Education, pages 124-139. Ablex Publishing Corp., New Jersey, 1990.