Accession Number:

AD0760115

Title:

A Model Driven Question-Answering System for a Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) Environment.

Descriptive Note:

Final rept. Jul 70-May 72,

Corporate Author:

SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT CORP SANTA MONICA CALIF

Personal Author(s):

• Brown,John S.
• Burton,Richard R.
• Zdybel,Frank

Report Date:

1973-03-01

Pagination or Media Count:

62.0

Abstract:

The report describes a question-answering system which permits students in a computer assisted instruction CAI environment greater initiative in the variety of questions they can ask concerning the subject area being studied. A method of representing processes as augmented finite-state automata is developed and is shown not only to permit efficient inferencing about dynamic processes but also to provide a satisfactory deep structure for paragraph generation. A CAI system dealing with meteorology is described which uses this automation model to represent the processes in meteorology. Coupled with the dynamic process model is a semantic conceptual network which contains the static information about meteorology. Examples of the inferencing techniques using both the automaton model and the semantic network are given. A sample session with this system is included in the Appendices. Author Portions of this document are not fully legible.

Descriptors:

• (*PROGRAMMED INSTRUCTION
• SYSTEMS ENGINEERING)
• AUTOMATA
• SIMULATION
• METEOROLOGY

Subject Categories:

• Humanities and History

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE