Constructing a virtual training laboratory using intelligent agents
Timothy J. Norman, Nicholas R. Jennings · International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning · 2002
This paper reports on the results and experiences of the Trilogy project, a collaborative project concerned with the development of a virtual research laboratory using intelligent agents. This laboratory is designed to support the training of research students in telecommunications traffic engineering. Training research students involves a number of basic activities. They may seek guidance from, or exchange ideas with, more experienced colleagues. High quality academic papers, books and research reports provide a sound basis for developing and maintaining a good understanding of an area of research. Experimental tools enable new ideas to be evaluated and hypotheses tested These three components - collaboration, information and experimentation - are central to any research activity and a good training environment for research should integrate them all in a seamless fashion. To this end, we describe the design and implementation of such a virtual laboratory.