The proliferation of Wide Area Networks (WANs) and Local Area Networks (LANs), for telecommunications, information and data applications constitute the enabling technological framework needed to bring network-based learning to full availability to millions of people worldwide. Intelligent software agents can be a promising distributed software technology used to implement applications that meet the requirements of lifelong or distant learners. This paper describes a possible architecture suitable for educational applications for distance learning, which is based on the mobile multi-agent paradigm. The described architecture exploits the assumption that each teaching subject can be regarded as the synthesis of elementary pieces (or aspects) of knowledge, each of which can be presented by an independent expert. Moreover, in order to better support individualized learning, a mobile agent is placed at the disposal of each distant learner.