3. Problem Background
Issues
Growth of student the population
Travelling issues
Cost
Time
Counselors have to answer the general questions every
time
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4. Proposed Solution
Web-based Virtual Counselor
Advantages
Accessibility
Vast coverage of target audience
Saves Time
Saves Cost
Reduces the counselors workload
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5. Domain Analysis
Aims of the Questionnaire
Whether the proposed system is useful
If so what are the features that should be included
What kind of information is needed for the system
Results(based on 76 students)
Visited APIIT Website in search for more details 72%
Information available on APIIT website : clear 46%, not
clear 47%
85% said that it would be useful if there was a chat
system
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6. Key Decisions Made
AIML language for the knowledgebase development
ALICE’s input normalization for the input
normalization
ALICE’s pattern matching algorithm
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7. 7/27
AIML Scripting
•Knowledgebase writing style
with <category>
•Rich set of AIML tags
•Recursion using <srai> tag
•Categorization with <topic> tag
•Non intuitive input and output
rules
•Complexity and possibility of
error is high
•No recursion and few set of rule
categories
•Mainly based on keyword patterns
Decisions Made-Knowledgebase
8. AIML Samples
Atomic Category
<category>
<pattern>WHAT IS THE TOTAL COST OF A DEGREE PROGRAMME AT
APIIT</pattern>
<template>It is around 1.3 million.*</template>
</category>
Default Category
<category>
<pattern>* COURSES * AVAILABLE *</pattern>
<template>
<srai>WHAT ARE THE DEGREE COURSES AVAILABLE AT APIIT</srai>
</template>
</category>
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9. AIML Samples
Recursive Category
<category>
<pattern>* COURSES * AVAILABLE *</pattern>
<template>
<srai>WHAT ARE THE DEGREE COURSES AVAILABLE AT APIIT</srai>
</template>
</category>
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10. Decisions Made-Response Generation
10/27
ElizabethALICE
•Well defined normalization
process
•Simple pattern matching
algorithm depends on depth first
search
•Partitioning and combination
•Efficient
1. underscore match
2. Atomic word
3. ‘*’ key match
•Not a well defined normalization
process
•Complex process with 5 phases
•Key word matching(gives response
to the first keyword pattern
matched)
•No partitioning and combination
•Inefficient (all the input/output
patterns and keywords should be
checked)
15. Special and Additional Features
Special
Spell Check
Similar Wordset check
Synonyms Check
Additional
Temporary Conversation Log
Admin Module
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16. System Requirements
Core System Requirement
The system should be able to answer the user questions
accordingly in the scope of the knowledgebase.
Special Features
Spell, Similar Wordset and Synonyms Check
Additional Features
Temporary Conversation Log
Admin Module
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17. Design-Overall Architecture
Reasoning
Knowledgebase
Response
Generation
Web Interface
User Query
System Output
Input query
System Response
Selection of the best
match
Best
matching
answerTemporary
Conversation Log
Spell check Synonym check
Similar wordset
check
Admin Module
Admin Controls
New Knowledge
addition
Edit the
knowledgebase
Other admin
controls
Database
Counselor Module
Request
for
synonym
check
Synonym
replaced user
input
Request
for spell
check
Spelling
checked
user input
Checked for
previous user
questions
Check
confirmation
Request
for similar
wordset
check
Similar
wordset
checked
user input
Request for the
best matching
answer
Saving the questions that could not be
answered by the system according to the
existing knowledge
New additions to the
knowledgebase
Editing the existing
knowledgebase
answers
Request for the
unanswered
user questions Unanswered
user questions
Admin request for other
necessary data
System data according
to the request
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18. Development
Followed Incremental Methodology (10 increments)
Knowledgebase implemented using AIML
Pattern matching and response generation
Usage of AIML interpreter in C#
Spell Check
Usage of Google Spell Checker API
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19. Similar Wordset Check
Limited word set selected
Synonyms Check
Usage of Wordnet and C# Wordnet API
Brill Tagger API
Temporary Conversation Log
Saves 10 recent questions and answers
Development
19/27
20. Counselor Module
Integration of Spell Check, Similar wordset Check,
Synonyms Check and Conversation Log
Admin Module Functionalities
Edit knowledgebase
Add new knowledge
Add words to the similar wordset
Development
20/27
21. Test Plan
The unit tests were performed, to test the main 7 units
(most important methods of the classes) of the
system.
The system test was performed to test the overall
performance of the system. Collected 100 user
question were used to perform this test.
The validation test was performed for the counselor
module involving two counselors of APIIT for an
overall performance check in two stages.
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23. Test Results
Unit Tests (7 main methods)
System Test
22/27
System Test
Successfully
Answered(83%)
No direct
answer(5%)
Failed(12%)
24. Critical Appraisal
Advantage in the usage of special AIML tags
(<srai>,<topic>)
Introduction of Similar Wordset Check to reduce the
knowledge that should be written.
Usage of “*” in pattern matching sometimes increases
ambiguity
The Order of reasoning for the efficiency in the system
response
System improves with the increase of the knowledge
with the help of the Admin Module
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25. Limitations and Enhancements
Limitations
Limited Knowledgebase
Temporary Conversation Log (10)
Spell Check(only 1 suggestion)
Further Enhancements
Persona-Type feature
User Analysis base
Chat Session Report
25/27
The era of technological and scientific evolutionMan tries to automate the tasks done by humans inventing the new machineries and applicationsY don’t we user the similar concept to reduce the work load of the APIIT counselors and make it easy for the prospective students to retrieve necessary information regarding APIIT degree courses easilyThat’s all bout my final year project
*Counseling plays a major role in any university*APIIT counseling two major aspects*growth of the student population is 25% per year and the information requests*handled by only 3-4 counselors*some need more clarifications some don’t*specifically come to apiit premises
Elizabeth*Adding, modifying and deleting scripts while conversation in progress*Both stores the previous output
A link to a PDF file will be provided for a clear view of the design