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Subject: search.filters.subject.Intelligent tutoring systems

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    Granular approach to adaptivity in problem-based learning
    (Massey University, 2002) Hong, Sally
    Constructivist approach to learning has been around for quite some time. The constructivist theory has resulted in the development of a wide variety of learning environments, however the problem-based learning (PBL) environment is one of the most ideal and most popular area that implements the constructivism theory. PBL is an attractive approach to foster learner's critical problem solving and self-directed learning skills. However, it is difficult to implement effective PBL environments. A majority of existing PBL environments suffers from the fact that the students easily get inundated by the fine granularity of the problems and loose focus of overall aims of the learning process. This project has introduced student adaptivity technology into PBL environments to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the learning process. To demonstrate the idea of PBL with student adaptivity, a web-based prototype is implemented in Process Costing, within the field of Accounting. Based on the architecture of the web-based intelligent educational systems, the problem base module is introduced. The basic architecture of the system is a typical three-tier, client-server structure. The client tier has the presentation interfaces that are implemented as HTML frames and run in a web browser. The application programs for performing adaptation, which were developed using PHP, reside in the middle layer, and communicate directly with the backend database: problem base, knowledge base that is the third tier. The web server as the communication channel also resides in the middle tier. With the system, students work on the real world costing calculation problems, and the system evaluates students' performance results on the problems to provide adaptation to the students. In summary, this project has successfully introduced the student adaptivity into the PBL environment. The strategies used in this thesis can be applied into the pure PBL educational systems to improve their adaptation capability.
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    Formalization of higher-level intelligence through integration of intelligent tutoring tools : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Information Systems, Department of Information Systems, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2003) Xu, Jian
    In contrast with a traditional Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS), which attempts to be fairly comprehensive and covers enormous chunks of a discipline's subject matter, a basic Intelligent Tutoring Tool (ITT) (Patel & Kinshuk, 1997) has a narrow focus. It focuses on a single topic or a very small cluster of related topics. An ITT is regarded as a building block of a larger and more comprehensive tutoring system, which is fundamentally similar with the emerging technology "Learning Objects" (LOs) (LTSC, 2000a). While an individual ITT or LO focuses on a single topic or a very small cluster of knowledge, the importance of the automatic integration of interrelated ITTs or LOs is very clear. This integration can extend the scope of an individual ITT or LO, it can guide the user from a simple working model to a complex working model and provide the learner with a rich learning experience, which results in a higher level of learning. This study reviews and analyses the Learning Objects technology, as well as its advantages and difficulties. Especially, the LOs integration mechanisms applied in the existing learning systems are discussed in detail. As a result, a new ITT integration framework is proposed which extends and formalizes the former ITT integration structures (Kinshuk & Patel, 1997, Kinshuk, et al. 2003) in two ways: identifying and organizing ITTs, and describing and networking ITTs. The proposed ITTs integration framework has the following four notions: (1) Ontology, to set up an explicit conceptualisation in a particular domain, (2) Object Design and Sequence Theory, to identify and arrange learning objects in a pedagogical way through the processes of decomposing principled skills, synthesising working models and placing these models on scales of increasing complexity, (3) Metadata, to describe the identified ITTs and their interrelationships in a cross-platform XML format, and (4) Integration Mechanism, to detect and activate the contextual relationship.
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    Towards a synthesis of multimedia and intelligent tutoring systems : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1998) Vethanayagam, Emma A. K
    Multimedia is being used in almost every field. This study is about the use of multimedia in the area of intelligent tutoring systems. This project studies the advantages and disadvantages of interactive multimedia and intelligent tutoring systems, and analyses the ways of combining these technologies in search of an interesting, learnable, flexible, compelling and technology-enhanced educational tool. Educational packages need to be evaluated for effectiveness. When it comes to computer-based instruction, technical concerns such as multimedia effects are taken seriously and there is not enough emphasis on its educational value. There is not much concern about the appropriateness of the instruction method to the computer medium. This research proposes a framework for evaluating educational packages which include a number of issues. Several pieces of educational software were evaluated using this framework and Diagnosis for crop protection, a multimedia software package that aids in teaching the process of diagnosing crop problems, was selected for modification, as a practical application of the theoretical work. We studied different multimedia system development models and methodologies. We also analysed the cognitive issues and intelligent features that enhance the learnability. Finally, the appropriate intelligent features and other factors that could enhance Diagnosis for crop protection to be a more 'active knowledge constructing' environment have been identified. The current version of Diagnosis for crop protection was represented using an appropriate methodology and the proposed changes were described in detail.
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    Student modelling and adaptivity in web-based learning systems : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science, Massey University
    (Massey University, 2001) Han, Binglan
    Web-based educational systems are now becoming part of main stream education. As an essential component of the web based educational systems, the student model enables the system to provide individualised course contents and study guidance, and therefore to help the students with different backgrounds and knowledge levels to achieve their learning goals effectively on the web. A prototype student model was developed in this project for a web based learning system. The architecture of student model is divided in two parts: individual and group student models. The information contained in individual student model includes the student knowledge levels for course contents, study goals, learning styles, preferences, etc. The individual student model is initialised by asking students their behavioural preferences through a questionnaire, and using default information based on stereotyping in the group student model. The model is updated dynamically according to student study times and/or assessment results. The group student model is extracted by a cumulative analysis of the individual student models of various students and is used for giving guidance to the students. Both navigation and content adaptations are provided based on the information maintained in student models. A web-based educational system was constructed for implementing and testing the student model. The web-based system adopted a three-tier, client-server architecture. The first tier is a set of HTML frames embedded with Java Applets running in the student's web browser to provide course contents and navigation guides. The middle tier consists of Java Servlets, JSP, and application programs to receive student requests, update student model, and send adaptive course contents and navigation guidance information to the client side. The course contents are stored in XML files that are processed to create the individualised course content presentations. The third tier is the relational database for storing the course structures and contents, and the information in the student model. This study produced a unique two-fold web-based student modelling system that can be applied to intelligently deliver the courses for a wide range of subject domains.
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    An affect-sensitive intelligent tutoring system with an animated pedagogical agent that adapts to student emotion like a human tutor : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2007) Alexander, Samuel Thomas Vaughan
    One of the established strengths of human tutors is their ability to recognise and adapt to the emotions of students. This is a skill that has traditionally been lacking from Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs); despite their ability to intelligently model and adapt to aspects of the student’s cognitive state, ITSs are generally completely unable to detect or adapt to aspects of the student’s affective state. In response to this shortcoming, this thesis explores the pioneering development of an emotion-sensitive ITS. With the empathy of effective human tutors as our blueprint, we investigate how an artificial tutor should adapt to the affective state of students, and develop an original affective tutoring strategies method. As a validation of the feasibility of an emotion-sensitive tutoring system, we implement and test our method in a functional Affective Tutoring System (ATS) for counting and addition, Easy with Eve, featuring an empathetic animated pedagogical agent, Eve. Eve is able to detect student affect using an in-house real time facial expression analysis system. To inform the system’s adaptation to student affect, the novel method for student modelling and emotion-sensitive tutoring strategies has been developed using a fuzzy, case-based reasoning approach. This approach is used to mine data about human tutor adaptations to student affect that was generated by an observational study of human tutors that was carried out in a local primary school. To test the impact of emotion detection and the presence of the animated agent, four different versions of the ATS were tested in local primary schools with a total of 59 participants. The findings from the study indicate that adding the detection of facial expressions to the student model did not improve student short-term performance, but there was mixed evidence that the presence of the animated agent Eve may cause students to perceive the system slightly more positively (a persona effect). This effect was marginally greater when the animated agent was enabled to detect and adapt to the affective state of students, which tentatively shows that emotion detection in an ATS may have a positive effect on student motivation.