**4. Technical implementation**

The underlying technical implementation of the virtual assistant system starts with creating use cases for the product. The identification of virtual assistants and the underlying technology are required for moving ahead with the implementation of the proposed website [10]. The following technical specifications have been identified for building the virtual assistant website:

Software used:


To facilitate interaction between the virtual assistant website and the user, a software known as Wit.ai is installed. Wit.ai offers a perfect combination of voice recognition, and subsequent machine learning in the context of developers. The software offers services that concentrate on converting verbal commands into text. Moreover, Wit.ai has the capability of understanding the commands that are said. The most sophisticated forms of Wit.ai can be programmed to understand commands whose prior understanding was scant or non-existent. This is crucial in the educational context since learners tend to understand at varying paces. The extensive capability of Wit.ai software to improve the interactivity of virtual assistant website can be verified by the fact that it has been incorporated by a number of notable social media networks, such as Facebook [10].

Clarifai is another service that can be added to the virtual assistant website to improve its interactivity. Clarifai is a service geared towards AI, and it possesses the ability to decode contents that is in an image and video format. Another strength associated with Clarifai is that it possesses a deep learning engine that improves with its usage [10]. The tool is of paramount importance when there is a need to make improvements in the AI prototype and grant it the capability of seeing and recognizing objects.

The virtual assistant experience with the users has been remarkable. All students who provided feedback regarding their interactions reported positive experiences. Fundamentally, the issue of the ease of interactivity, friendly user interfaces and responsiveness were reviewed. The first student reported that the system has a friendly user interface that is not complex, thus allowing a user to navigate through different sections of the system. The student added that the system was highly responsive in terms of answering questions. He recounted that, in the traditional class setting, he was afraid to ask questions in front of the other student. However, the virtual assistant offered personalized interaction where he could ask any questions, clarifications and point out his areas of weakness. The second student who experimented with the software also found it quite useful. He emphasized that he liked the fact that he was able to get immediate feedback on his questions. This was a vast improvement over the traditional way of waiting to talk to the teacher after class, when the teachable moment has already expired. Some instructors are always in a rush after finishing their classes. As such, they are unable to allocate ample time to explain specific concepts taught in class to the student. Therefore, the student misses out on these concepts that might cause low academic performance. In other cases, teachers recommend students with clarifications to get the assistance of their classmates. This hampers full understanding as one needs to develop a rapport with their fellow student to enhance learning, and others become intimidated. However, the virtual assistant allocates enough time and is able to answer all questions, providing detailed explanations. The third student said that she found it was an effective supplement to one teacher's extensive use of multiple choice exams. According to the student, while such exams might tell her whether or not she knows the answer to a question, they do not help her understand the logic underlying the answer. The virtual assistance was helpful in achieving that understanding. The fourth student also reported satisfaction with the system. Firstly, the student confessed to being a slow learner. This had really affected how she grasped concepts. Most of the times, she felt left behind in classwork and had no one to consult as she was shy about her condition. However, the system helped her to learn at her pace and recommended interactive learning model that allowed her ask for clarification after every 10 minutes of the learning session. She was enthusiastic to note that this has helped her understand most of the concepts taught in class and generally improve her grades. Lastly, a teacher who had made use of the assistance said it allowed her more time to figure out what her students actually understood and where they were having difficulties. By so doing, it helped her know which areas needed much attention to enhance understanding. She recounted that teaching a class of 30 students can sometimes be difficult to know who understood well, who needed extra attention on a specific topic and what learning model suited a specific group of students. The virtual assistant, according to the teacher, answers these questions. The system is able to compile interactive activities to address specific learning outcomes to indent whether the students understood the topic.
