PAIR

PAIR (Peer-Allocated Instant Response) is a project in the Netherlands that aims to match students with best-suited peer candidates for online support.[1] It was launched in 2006 by the Open University of the Netherlands, an online university, and was supported by Fontys University[2] and SURF, the national organization in the Netherlands that coordinates ICT in higher education.[3]

The system works as follows:[4] Online students requiring help type their question into an IM-like client; they are then automatically and instantaneously paired with another student who is currently online. When the conversation is over, both parties rate the experience. The currently used allocation algorithm does not perform a semantic analysis of the question; it allocates peer tutors based on their position in the curriculum relative to the help seeker, their past workload and past ratings.

A simulation of the allocation algorithm was carried out[3] and two 8-week pilot projects were conducted at the Open University and the Fontys University.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Mandy Garner (2009-01-19), "The University of Europe: accessible to all", The Guardian, London, retrieved 2010-05-20
  2. ↑ Emily R. Huff (2012-04-26), "Fontys University International Campus - Online Students Requiring", The Independent, retrieved 2012-08-12
  3. 1 2 Wim Westera (31 Mar 2007), "Peer-Allocated Instant Response (PAIR): Computational Allocation of Peer Tutors in Learning Communities", Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 1010 (2)
  4. 1 2 Help me! Online Learner Support through the Self-Organised Allocation of Peer Tutors PPT
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 4/10/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.