MR COLLINS - A COLLABORATIVELY CONSTRUCTED, INSPECTABLE STUDENT MODELFOR INTELLIGENT COMPUTER-ASSISTED LANGUAGE-LEARNING

This paper describes 'Mr. Collins', a student model for intelligent co mputer assisted language learning (ICALL), which is based on the resul ts of empirical studies conducted in the target domain. 'Mr. Collins' is constructed and updated through student/system collaboration. This collaborative approach to learner modelling aims both to promote stude nt reflection through discussion of the student model, and to provide more detailed and accurate information for the model. Due to his own c ontributions the student is less likely to regard the model with suspi cion. Because the student model is the focus of the system, it must co ntain more information than is typically found in learner models. Ther efore, in addition to domain knowledge and misconceptions, 'Mr. Collin s' also models learner confidence, background languages and learning s trategies. The typical acquisition sequence for the target rules is ex plicitly modelled to provide an additional perspective from which the system may assess learner input.