TOFEDU: The Future of Education Journal
Vol 5 No 3 (2026): 2

A Forward Chaining-Based Expert System for Detecting Stress Levels among Students Writing Their Undergraduate Theses

Ar Rahman (Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Sumatera Barat)
Januardi Nasir (Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Sumatera Barat)
Rezki Fauzi (Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Sumatera Barat)
April Zahmi (Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Sumatera Barat)



Article Info

Publish Date
26 Oct 2026

Abstract

This study aims to design and develop an expert system to assist in identifying stress levels among university students while working on their undergraduate theses using the Forward Chaining method. The research is motivated by the difficulties students face in independently recognizing their stress levels and the limited availability of tools that can provide prompt preliminary information. The study adopts a system development approach consisting of problem identification, data collection and processing, requirements analysis, system design, implementation, and testing. Knowledge of stress symptoms and levels is represented in a knowledge base using IF–THEN rules and processed through Forward Chaining based on the symptoms selected by users. Functional testing was conducted using the black-box testing method to evaluate the application's main features, including loading, registration, login, the main menu, diagnosis, data management, and reporting. The test results documented in the undergraduate thesis indicate that all tested functions operated as expected, achieving a functional success rate of 100%. The developed system can serve as a supporting tool for providing preliminary information about students' stress levels and recommending appropriate coping measures based on the system's results. However, the 100% figure represents the success rate of software functional testing and does not indicate the clinical diagnostic accuracy of the system.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

journal

Publisher

Subject

Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Mathematics Other

Description

TOFEDU Journal is a scientific journal related to research results, conceptual studies, critical/comprehensive studies in the field of education. The results of the work of the researchers are expected to make a positive contribution in the field of education in order to achieve equitable, inclusive ...