ABSTRACT

The study of human-computer interaction is especially germane to research on intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs). The interaction between students and ITSs is inherently complex because the users of these systems are by definition working with concepts they do not understand well. If the interface to the ITS is confusing or poorly designed, the effectiveness of the entire instructional session will suffer. Conversely, a well-designed interface can enhance the capabilities of an ITS in many ways. Being able to specify the interface to an ITS means that the designer has considerable power over the way in which the student will conceptualize the problem domain, and over the vocabulary the student will use to talk about the domain. This is, of course, a two-edged sword-it means that for an ITS to be effective, the designer must be aware of the ITSs interface and must treat its design as a fundamental part of the design of the system.