Argumentation support tool with modularization function and its evaluation

Abstract

In a school, it is a matter of importance to educate students on discussion skills. On-the-job training (OJT) is an effective method for discussion education. To reduce the burden of the supervisor taking care of several discussion groups, a discussion support tool for use on a tablet PC is developed. Each student is assumed to participate in the discussion with the tablet PC and exchange messages through a computer network. This tool has an easy input interface by which a student inputs his message in the form of an argumentation diagram. Then, this message is converted into logical formulas, and furthermore, converted into an argumentation framework, which represents a logical structure of the discussion. The semantics of the argumentation framework is calculated and they are displayed on the screen to the student. This information helps students to understand the current status of the discussion and to select the next utterance. In addition to the basic functions, this tool has a modularization function which divides the complex arguments into modules and integrates semantics of each module. The effectiveness of the tool is evaluated by analyzing argumentation records.