Role of Agent Middleware in Teaching Distributed Systems and Agent Technologies

Abstract

Computer science and information communication technologies are among the fastest changing areas and it is essential to follow this world-wide trend also in education, constantly innovating and adapting curricula. In this paper, we introduce the structure, methodological aspects and educational experiences of teaching two courses on distributed systems and agent technologies at two different universities and countries. The presentation is focused on the role of agent middleware and multi-agent systems in teaching various theoretical and practical aspects of these courses. At the University of Craiova, the conclusion is that the use of agent middleware in general and of JADE platform in particular for teaching the course Distributed Systems certainly brings many advantages, but also has some limitations. At the University of Novi Sad, within the Agent Technologies course, agent middleware, initially developed as part of the research project, has been successfully used for educational purposes, too. For both courses, we present the structure, the tools, teachers' and students' experiences and joint useful conclusions and lessons learned with regard to courses delivery.