Artifical Intelligence Academic Advising System

The Artificial Intelligence Academic Advising system makes use of a programming language that can perform useful tasks by utilizing artificial intelligence. James R. Mallory, a graduate computer science student, developed the initial system at RIT. His project enabled students to log onto the mainframe and receive academic advising, which included a list of program course requirements, course offerings for specific quarters, and a listing of possible course selections for specific quarters based on transcript information.

Unfortunately, the language was awkward for the general student population and the user interface was a major concern. It was difficult and confusing to use, and contained several problems in need of debugging. James Mallory recommended the development of a user-friendly program that would incorporate Artificial Intelligence advising. Project efforts focused on fixing errors and fine tuning existing systems to develop a user-friendly program.

The new system benefits users in many ways. The new interface allows the student to easily modify the rules it follows, course databases, and the quarterly offerings for other departments. Students can select courses, verify that prerequisites are fulfilled, and look at “what if” situations, such as GPA’s and restructuring courses based on a failure or grade of an incomplete. The system is easy to maintain and update, allowing both administrators and students can use the system. In addition, the system recognizes whether or not the user is an administrator or student, and acts accordingly. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the system provides a high level of transcript file security, as files are assigned an owner number as well as an owner ID.

The introduction of the Artificial Academic Advising system has led to a more user-friendly, secure, and innovative system that benefits the entire RIT community.