ABSTRACT

The promise of computers in education has always been individualized instruction. A computer, with its limitless patience, and essentially limitless knowledge, should be able to tailor a learning environment for the needs and goals of each student. The goal is most laudable, since we know that there are as many learning styles as there are learners. The intelligent tutoring system (ITS) model ratchets up the level to which we can approach the tailorability goal. The computer-based instruction (CAI) systems of the 1960s and 1970s provided a first-level flexibility in how the student could learn a corpus of material. The ITS of the 1980s and 1990s permits the next order of magnitude of flexibility; with its model of the student, its expertise in the task domain and in instruction, and its task-facilitating interface, an ITS appears able to support a wider variety of learning experiences while producing a substantial improvement in learning effectiveness.