Authors see common errors in the builder

Collaboration between:

Improving the Life Cycle of Tutoring ContentShane Almeida in collaboration with Leena Razzaq, Jozsef Patvarczki, Manasi Vartak, Mingyu Feng, Neil Heffernan, and Kenneth Koedinger

Sponsored by:

Free researcher, student, and teacher accounts at http://www.assistment.org

Model-tracing, rule-based tutors provide effective learning environments in a variety of domains but have important limitations:

•Developing content for a single hour of instruction can take between 100 and 1000 hours

•Creating cognitive tutors requires considerable knowledge in the domains of cognitive psychology and computer science, particularly artificial intelligence rule-based programming

High cost and level of expertise required have resulted in very few systems being built and consequently adopted by educators

Assistment ProjectFreely-available, web-based assessment system that tutors middle- and high-school students in mathematics

Currently used by 3000 students and 50 teachers

Funded by Office of Naval Research to to explore ways of reducing the cost of making intelligent tutoring systems

•Eliminated the need for experience in computer science or cognitive psychology

•Reduced creation time for a single hour of instruction to 10 to 30 hours

•Support the full life-cycle of content

128

Authors create initial content

Students interact with the tutor

Students and teachers submit comments

Authors view comments

Teachers see student errors in reports

Traditional Tutors

Authors refine content to address common errors

Authors refine content to address user concerns

This work has been submitted to the International Journal of AI in Education - Special Issue on Authoring Systems for ITSs