Enhanced Admission Enquiries System Using Chatbot Technology

ABSTRACT

In this research work, a chatbot that will act as a virtual admission officer and make possible student – officer interaction is designed. A knowledge database (KDB) and pattern matching algorithm is used. The algorithm searches through the set of data to find a potential answer to the user’s enquiry and then replies the user or provides a relevant web link if the user is not satisfied with the answer. This reduces the burden on the head of admissions, and potentially other users. The web-based system is built using PHP as the Server Side Language. It utilizes jQuery on the client-side and MySQL Server as the database. The Knowledge base of the system is tailored using Artificial Intelligence Mark-Up Language (AIML) which was embedded into the Program-O PHP Library. This application of chatbot technology is an enhancement to University admission enquiries as it simulates the role of an admission officer for prospective university students.


TABLE OF CONTENT

Title page

Certification

Dedication

Acknowledgement

Table of Content

List of Figures

List of Tables

Abstract 

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

1.2 Motivation for the Work

1.3 Statement of the Problem

1.4 Aim and Objectives

1.5 The Significance of Study

1.6 Scope and the Target Audience of the Study

1.7 Limitations to the Study

1.8 Definition of Terms 

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 General Overview

2.2 Chabot Technology and Human Deception 6

2.3  The Imitation Game

2.4  Some Early Systems

          2.4.1  ELIZA

  1. 2.4.2  PARRY

  2. 2.4.3  A.L.I.C.E

  3. 2.4.4  VPbot 

    2.4.5 Eugene Goostman 13

    2.4.6  Artificially Intelligent Conversational Agents in Libraries 14

    2.4.7  An Intelligent Internet Shop-Assistant 14

    2.4.8  Dialogue-based CALL: a case study on teaching pronouns 15

    2.4.9  Motivate Learners to Practice English through Playing with Chatbot CSIEC 16

    2.4.10  Dialogue Based Assistant for Career Counseling 16

    2.4.11  Interactive System with Artificial Intelligence 16

    2.4.12  Designing a Chatbot for Diabetic Patients 16

    2.4.13  Chatbot for admissions 17

    2.4.14  Bringing Chatbots into Education 

    2.5 Elements of AIML 19

    2.5.1  Categories 

    2.5.2  Types of ALICE/AIML Categories 20

    2.6  Learning Chatbots 22

    2.7  Interaction with humans 23

    2.8  Summary of Related works 

    CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY AND SYSTEM ANALYSIS

    3.1 Methodology
    3.1.1 Justification for the Choice of Methodology 

    3.2 Analysis of the Existing Systems

    3.2.1 Existing Approach to Admission Enquiries in FUTO 

    3.2.2 Problems in the Existing approach 

    3.3 Analysis of the Existing System

    3.3.1 Weaknesses of the Existing System

    3.4 Analyses of the Proposed System

    3.5 Web Applications 

    3.6 Functional Requirements

    3.7 Non-Functional Requirements 

    3.8 Justification for the Proposed System

    CHAPTER FOUR: SYSTEM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION

    4.1 Design Objectives

    4.2 Design Specification

    4.3 Database Design 

    4.4 Keyword Matching Algorithm

    4.5 Framework of the Proposed System

    4.6 System Flow Chat 

    4.7 Choice and Justification of Programming Language Used

    4.7.1 Database Server

    4.7.2 Web Servers

    4.7.3 HTML and CSS

    4.7.4 Third Party Libraries (Program - O)

    4.8 Implementation
    4.8.1 Programming Tools
    4.9. System Requirements

    4.9.1 Hardware Requirements
    4.9.2 Software Requirements

    4.10 Testing and Evaluation
    4.11 Result Analysis

    4.11.1 Result Analysis Based on Perceived Usefulness
    4.11.2 Analysis of the Result Based on Perceived Ease of Use

    4.12 Documentation

    CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

    1. 5.1  Summary

    2. 5.2  Problems Encountered and Solution 67

    3. 5.3  Contribution to Knowledge 67

    4. 5.4  Conclusion 68

    5. 5.5  Recommendations for Future Work: 69

    References

    APPENDIX A SOURCE CODES

    APPENDIX B SCREENSHOTS OF THE SYSTEM

    1. B1  Admin Login Page 

    2. B2  User Interface 

    3. B3  Sample Conversation with the Chatbot 

    4. B4  Rating the Chatbot in Terms of Perceived Usefulness and Ease of Use 

    1. B5  Results of rating

    2. B6  List of Sample Text

     LIST OF FIGURES

    Figure 2.1: Figure 2.2: Figure 2.3: Figure 2.4: Figure 3.1: Figure 3.2 Figure 3.3: Figure 3.4: Figure 4.1: Figure 4.2 Figure 4.3: Figure 4.4: Figure 4.5: Figure 4.6: Figure 4.7: Figure 4.8: Figure 4.9: Figure 4.10: Figure 4.11: Figure 4.12: Figure 4.13: Figure 4.14: Figure 4.15: Figure 4.16:

    LIST OF FIGURES

    Turing test involving a judge interrogating two hidden entities 9

    A sample conversation with ELIZA 10

    A sample conversation with ALICE 13

    A sample conversation with Eugene 14

    waterfall Methodology 28

    Architecture of the Existing System 31

    A Detailed Architecture of the Proposed System 32

    Three Tier Architecture 33

    Entity Relationship Diagram 37

    the Difference between Search Engine and Matrix Engine 39

    The Importance of Matrix Engine 39

    High Level Design. 42

    System Flow Chat 43

    Back End User Interface 55

    Graph of Perceive usefulness for group 1 56

    Graph of Perceived ease of use for group 1. 57

    Graph of Perceive usefulness for group 2 58

    Graph of Perceived ease-of-use for group 2. 58

    t distribution plot of PU25 and PU30 MEANS 61

    t distribution plot of PEU25 AND PEU30 MEANS 63

    Admin Login Page. 64

    User Interface 65

    Rating the System. 65

    Results of Rating from Different Participants 66 

    LIST OF TABLES

    Table 2.1:

    Table 4.1: Table 4.2:

    Table 4.3 Table 4.4: Table 4.5: Table 4.6:

    LIST OF TABLES

    List of Some Existing Chatbot 24

    Input Specification 35

    output Specification 36

    Database Structure 36

    keyword matching 41

    Rating Result For group 1(users with maximum age of 25)

    57 Rating result for group 2(users with minimum age of 30)