ABSTRACT

Case based reasoning is a model of human reasoning in which recollections of prior experience are key (Kolodner, 1993; Riesbeck & Schank, 1989). The reasoner stores previously solved problems; when a new problem comes along, he or she solves it by finding the most similar previous example and attempting to apply the same solution, adapting where necessary. The case based teaching architecture (Edelson, 1993; Schank, 1990a) is intended to mesh with a student’s need to acquire relevant cases. Because new students in a domain will lack the experience needed to have a large case base, the goal of a case based teacher is to use students’ involvement in a learning environment as a means of introducing important cases that they should know.