Multiagent System for Detecting Passive Students in Problem-Based Learning

A computer-supported collaborative learning environment can enable students in web-based distance education courses to interact with each other and with one or more facilitators to conduct group work. Problem-based learning (PBL) is a learning theory that emphasizes the use of collaboration and teamwork to solve problems. However, a problem that occurs frequently in the implementation of PBL is the presence of passive students, usually students who have difficulty working in teams to solve problems. In face to face teaching, in classes of appropriate sizes, the facilitator can easily detect the presence of students with this profile and try to correct this situation to improve the learning process. In distance learning, however, this is not a trivial task, mainly due to issues related to the geographic distribution of students and the lack of information about their levels of motivation. Therefore, this paper presents a multiagent system for detecting passive students in PBL in virtual learning environments to detect and correct this undesired situation and improve the learning process.