Virtual Teaching AssistantVirtual Teaching Assistant

Project Development TeamProject Development Team

John BaileyJohn Bailey Project ManagerProject Manager

Richard FitzgeraldRichard Fitzgerald Presenter/InterviewerPresenter/Interviewer

Adrian JunesAdrian Junes InterviewerInterviewer

Paolo QuerimitPaolo Querimit Multimedia DesignerMultimedia Designer

Mike GravesMike Graves ResearcherResearcher

Greg WatsonGreg Watson ResearcherResearcher

Product ScopeProduct Scope

The VTA or Virtual Teaching Assistant is a The VTA or Virtual Teaching Assistant is a software application that will aid teachers and software application that will aid teachers and students. It is an automated web-based students. It is an automated web-based system that allows the user to get the system that allows the user to get the information needed without having to contact information needed without having to contact the professor in person or via e-mail. It also the professor in person or via e-mail. It also can save responses from the teacher into a can save responses from the teacher into a database and allow it to be searched by the database and allow it to be searched by the rest of the class in order to cut down on the rest of the class in order to cut down on the workload of the teacher workload of the teacher

What it does What it does It allows students better access to course information by It allows students better access to course information by

providing a better way in providing a better way in whichwhich to search to search throughthrough and view and view course material course material

It allows teachers to get more out of email since it can mail It allows teachers to get more out of email since it can mail students when important course events have occurred students when important course events have occurred automaticallyautomatically

Teachers will not have to answer the same question over and Teachers will not have to answer the same question over and over since the VTA will save teacher responses to be viewed over since the VTA will save teacher responses to be viewed and searched by othersand searched by others

What We are NotWhat We are Not

We are not replacing the teacher, the teacher We are not replacing the teacher, the teacher still must prepare course material, we simply still must prepare course material, we simply allow the students to get more out of the allow the students to get more out of the materialmaterial

We are not Lotus Learning space, the class will We are not Lotus Learning space, the class will not be taught directly over the web page, it not be taught directly over the web page, it will be there to assist with the classwill be there to assist with the class

Product GoalsProduct Goals To have our application successfully work across multiple platforms, To have our application successfully work across multiple platforms,

both Unix and Windows NT which includes both the VTA server and both Unix and Windows NT which includes both the VTA server and the clientthe client

To have the VTA be supported across all Web browsers, making the To have the VTA be supported across all Web browsers, making the product more marketable since users can use it from anywhere product more marketable since users can use it from anywhere

To make our client software package be supported on all operating To make our client software package be supported on all operating systems and make the program easily installed and simple to usesystems and make the program easily installed and simple to use

To make the VTA server system easy to setup, update and To make the VTA server system easy to setup, update and maintain, thus decreasing the need for any extra administrator for maintain, thus decreasing the need for any extra administrator for the purchasing partythe purchasing party

General ApproachGeneral Approach Managerial ApproachManagerial Approach

– The complete development team meets every two The complete development team meets every two weeks to discuss the project as a wholeweeks to discuss the project as a whole

– individualindividual team members will meet with other team members will meet with other members in their group as needed to talk about members in their group as needed to talk about individual aspects of the productindividual aspects of the product

– Inter employee communication will mostly rely on Inter employee communication will mostly rely on email to deal with minor project issuesemail to deal with minor project issues

WorkingWorking ApproachApproach Work environment - Visual studio and MSDN will be Work environment - Visual studio and MSDN will be

installed at work so being much of the work should be installed at work so being much of the work should be completed at the officecompleted at the office

Employee’s will have to show their progress at the Employee’s will have to show their progress at the meetings , thus decreasing the daily stress since meetings , thus decreasing the daily stress since constant supervision and monitoring will not be be constant supervision and monitoring will not be be taking placetaking place

Business GoalsBusiness Goals To market our product towards educational institutionsTo market our product towards educational institutions

To come up with a competitive license Agreement, To come up with a competitive license Agreement, containing a College , Department, and per individual containing a College , Department, and per individual class licensing optionclass licensing option

To design are product with with new features and To design are product with with new features and options not found in competing software packages such options not found in competing software packages such as Lotus Notes Learning Spaceas Lotus Notes Learning Space

Contractual AspectsContractual Aspects

Items Customers must supply for implementationItems Customers must supply for implementation

Dedicated Internet Connection to for VTA serverDedicated Internet Connection to for VTA server

- At minimum a dedicated T1 connection- At minimum a dedicated T1 connection

A server to run the VTAA server to run the VTA– For a Windows NT based system at minimum 400 For a Windows NT based system at minimum 400

mhzmhz– For a Unix based system at minimum a Sun Ultra 5For a Unix based system at minimum a Sun Ultra 5

The need for the server is based upon the amount The need for the server is based upon the amount of classes that the VTA will serveof classes that the VTA will serve

Contractual AspectsContractual Aspects A web server needs to be running on the VTA serverA web server needs to be running on the VTA server

– For Unix an Apache Web serverFor Unix an Apache Web server– For Windows NT and IIS Web server For Windows NT and IIS Web server

A mail server is required to incorporate some of the featuresA mail server is required to incorporate some of the features

A system administrator to maintain the server A system administrator to maintain the server

(Not Required) A video camera and audio recorder to record (Not Required) A video camera and audio recorder to record class lecturesclass lectures

(Not Required) Voice recognition software to translate lectures(Not Required) Voice recognition software to translate lectures– Artisoft Visual voice - price 7,000Artisoft Visual voice - price 7,000

Web InterfaceWeb Interface

Potential ProblemsPotential Problems Key people have gaps between tasks waiting to be Key people have gaps between tasks waiting to be

assigned work to doassigned work to do

Having the regular English search engine be able to Having the regular English search engine be able to able to handle sentence’s from the user with bad able to handle sentence’s from the user with bad grammar structuregrammar structure