APPLYING AGENT TECHNOLOGY TO EVALUATION TASKS IN E-LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS Selby Markham, Jason Ceddia & Judy Sheard School of Computer Science and Software Engineering Monash University, Australia Selby.markham@infotech.monash.edu.au Jason.ceddia@infotech.monash.edu.au Judy.sheard@infotech.monash.edu.au Colin Burvill & John Weir Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering University of Melbourne, Australia colb@sungear.mame.mu.OZ.AU jweir@sungear.mame.mu.OZ.AU Bruce Field Department of Mechanical Engineering Monash University, Australia bruce.field@eng.monash.edu.au Leon Sterling & Linda Stern Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering University of Melbourne, Australia leon@cs.mu.OZ.AU linda@cs.mu.OZ.AU Abstract The complexity of evaluating e-learning has become an issue that is being addressed by educational developers. A possible solution to part of the problem lies in the use of software agents to extract data from the e-learning software and to organise that data in intelligent ways. A project group (PEDANT) is working on the design and development of pedagogical agents to monitor and evaluate a range of computer-based learning tools including Web-based ones operating as an e-learning environment. This paper reports on the conceptual structure that has evolved to define the development process for the pedagogical agents. This includes the intention of making the final products generalisable across a variety of e-learning platforms and environments. Keywords pedagogical agents, e-learning, log file analysis, educational evaluation Introduction The e-learning environment is an environment that is contained within the learning world of the student. If the teacher has taken into account the real-world of e-learning then the learning materials will have been devised in a way that supports the self-directed and self-managed learner. This exacerbates the problem of how the evaluator gets into the world of the student in an e-learning environment to investigate the educational impact of the learning materials. In a sense, the more effective the learning materials are in supporting independent learning, the less accessible they are to outside inspection.