PAIR
Encyclopedia
PAIR is a project in the Netherlands
that aims to match students with best-suited peer candidates for online support. It was launched in 2006 by the Open University of the Netherlands, an online university, and was supported by Fontys University
and SURF, the national organization in the Netherlands that coordinates ICT in higher education.
The system works as follows: Online students requiring help type their question into an IM
-like client; they are then automatically and instantaneously paired with another student who is currently online. When the conversation is over, both parties rate the experience. The currently used allocation algorithm does not perform a semantic analysis of the question; it allocates peer tutors based on their position in the curriculum relative to the help seeker, their past workload and past ratings.
A simulation of the allocation algorithm was carried out and two 8-week pilot projects were conducted at the Open University and the Fontys University.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
that aims to match students with best-suited peer candidates for online support. It was launched in 2006 by the Open University of the Netherlands, an online university, and was supported by Fontys University
Fontys University of Applied Sciences
Fontys University of Applied Sciences is a Dutch vocational university with several campuses located in the souther Netherlands. It offers 200 bachelor and master programs in the fields of technology, economics, social work, health care and teacher training...
and SURF, the national organization in the Netherlands that coordinates ICT in higher education.
The system works as follows: Online students requiring help type their question into an IM
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
-like client; they are then automatically and instantaneously paired with another student who is currently online. When the conversation is over, both parties rate the experience. The currently used allocation algorithm does not perform a semantic analysis of the question; it allocates peer tutors based on their position in the curriculum relative to the help seeker, their past workload and past ratings.
A simulation of the allocation algorithm was carried out and two 8-week pilot projects were conducted at the Open University and the Fontys University.