ABSTRACT
In a research and development environment, the decisions to undertake, fund, continue, and cancel projects are constantly reviewed. Under ideal conditions, decisions such as these are always made after carefully evaluating the costs and benefits involved. This chapter offers a worked-through illustration of how a cost–benefits analysis might be performed to decide among strategies for implementing an intelligent tutoring system. Cost–benefits analysis provides a financial basis for selecting among a set of actions or decisions. At the most simple level, cost–benefits analysis involves tabulating a set of costs and benefits associated with a set of competing options. The chapter provides some examples of how to conduct a cost–benefits analysis when considering the adoption of computer-based tutoring technologies. It examines some of the major costs and benefits to be considered when evaluating tutoring technologies. Finally, two hypothetical scenarios based on the capabilities of intelligent tutoring are provided to illustrate the cost–benefits analysis.
