A Prototype Expert System to Assist in Selecting Students Into the Different Specialization Options in the Faculty of Commerce

Abstract

This paper describes the construction of a prototype expert system to assist in selecting students into different specializations in the Faculty of Commerce University of Nairobi. The Management Science Option offered in the Department of Management Science was used as a case study.

The expert system was constructed from scratch using Turbo Pascal as a programming language. The knowledge solicited from the experts, in this case lecturers in the concerned department, was represented in the expert system as production rules (IF ... THEN ... statements).

The expert system developed makes useofa relatively small number of rules - twenty one. The proto typing methodology was ideally suited for constucting an effective expert system within the time available.

The project report is divided into five sections. Section one introduces the topic and describes what an expert system is and how it works. Section two is devoted to literature review. The objective of the literature review is to give an over view of expert systems development.

Section three discusses how the prototype expert system was constructed while section four reviews different stages passed while forging this model. Section five closes the discussion. One definite conclusion emerging from this work which may be relevant to other researchers is to recognize that the capture of expertise in any domain poses a challenge for expert systems development.