The Graduate Student Advisor (GSA): An Expert System for SAN Graduate Student Advising

Abstract

The Graduate Student Advisor (GSA) is an experimental expert system that advises graduate students in systems analysis. It simulates a faculty advisor in suggesting the schedule of courses a student should take based on the student's background and interests. It is implemented in NEXPERT Object. This report first describes the task, knowledge engineering and solution approach of the GSA. The report then gives a sample session to illustrate how to run a consultation. It also includes some maintenance notes about how to modify the knowledge about courses and related rules if necessary. Finally, it discusses some lessons learned.