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This report describes research directed at designing and evaluating computer assisted instructional (CAI) systems capable of inferring structural models of a student's reasoning strategies and identifying his underlying misconceptions. Several prototype systems using representative domains of knowledge were constructed. From these an information processing framework comprising models of expert reasoners, adaptive tutors, and students, have evolved. Section 1 describes two paradigmatic instructional systems involving a decision making and a gaming environment. Section 2 explores issues of building intelligent instructional systems over more complex domains of knowledge. Section 3 describes research related to the design of robust intelligent systems. (Author/WBC)

Interim work is documented describing efforts to modify computer techniques used to recognize and process English language requests to an instructional simulator. The conversion from a hand-coded to a table driven technique are described in detail. Other modifications to a simulation based computer assisted instruction program to allow a gaming situation to be used in the classroom are also documented, and a student protocol taken with this program is presented. Textual support materials used in conjunction with the on-line computer instruction are also presented. (Author)

This report describes the development of several new computer based strategies for teaching troubleshooting principles to electronics technicians. The computer programs to implement these strategies were developed in part from software produced in previous contracts. The report documents an experiment in which those materials were presented to student technicians to determine their attitudes toward the techniques, and to determine whether the training resulted in improvement of their technical skills. Results in both cases were positive with students responding very favorably to the materials and with their performance improving quantitatively and qualitatively after the instruction. The computer based techniques used are explained and examples of student interaction with the materials are included in the report. Copies of the tutorial materials used in conjunction with the on-line computer presentations are presented in an appendix. (Author)

Concepts in recursive functional programing form the basis of a course designed to introduce Humanities and Social Science students to computer programing. Unlike many introductory courses, recursion was taught prior to any mention of iteration or assigned operations. LOGO, a non-numeric language originally invented for use by children, was chosen as the medium. A brief summary is made of LOGO, and the assigned problems are described, along with the motivation behind each. This technical report considers how theoretical ideas about computing can be explained intuitively and how, by choosing some metaphors that are particularly meaningful to the non-science student, these abstract ideas can be presented effectively. Some of the limitations and hindrances of the course are described, and suggestions for circumventing them in the future are offered. (KKC)

A programing approach was used to implement a simulated laboratory training situation in which a student is allowed to troubleshoot a defective regulated power supply. The ways in which students can use natural language to ask questions about and manipulate the simulated device are described. The techniques developed to recognize English, to simulate the electronic circuit, and to model the student's knowledge about the circuit are explained. A conclusions section explains the generality of the work performed and possible extensions of the techniques to other training situations. (Author)

The SOPHIE program, which implements mixed initiative computer-assisted instruction within a simulated electronics trouble shooting training laboratory interaction, has been extended in several ways. The language processor now accepts ellipses and other nonspecific requests and resolves these from dialog context. A help requesting facility has been provided which will suggest possible faults (based on the student's knowledge about the circuit at the time of request) which could explain the symptoms he has observed. The net effect of modifications is that a dialog is much more like a conversation with a very skilled tutor who can infer what a students means, based on a complete interaction session, and respond appropriately. The resulting program can be accessed through the ARPA network of computers. (SK)

This paper describes the philosophy of intelligent instructional systems and presents an example of one such system in the domain of manipulative mathematics--BLOCKS. The notion of BLOCKS as a paradigmatic system is explicated from both the system development and educational viewpoints. From a developmental point of view, the modular design of BLOCKS provides a working framework within which to explore different monitoring functions and various tutoring strategies. From an educational viewpoint, BLOCKS provides a dramatic example of the potential of a computerized intelligent tutor in a laboratory environment. By monitoring the student's behavior, the system can notice interesting situations and direct the student's attention to them. In this way, the computer can provide conceptual structure and guidance to a student's otherwise undirected experiences. (Author/VT)

A major obstacle to the effective educational use of computers is the lack of a natural means of communication between the student and the computer. This report describes a technique for generating such natural language front-ends for advanced instructional systems. It discusses: (1) the essential properties of a natural language front-end, (2) some prior systems having some of the desired capabilities, and (3) the technical details underlying "semantic grammars." This last notion is introduced as a paradigm for organizing the knowledge required to understand language which permits efficient parsing. In semantic grammar, non-terminal categories are formed on conceptual rather than syntactic bases. This allows semantic knowledge to be integrated into the parsing process whenever it is beneficial. The ability of Augmented Transition Networks (ATN)-based semantic grammars to perform satisfactorily in an educational environment is demonstrated in the natural language front-end for the SOPHIE system. Appendices describe SOPHIE semantic grammar in two formalisms (ATN and BTN). (Author/DAG)

This paper provides an in-depth view of computer based tutoring/coaching systems and (1) the philosophy behind them, (2) the kinds of diagnostic modeling strategies required to infer a student's shortcomings from observing his behavior, and (3) the range of explicit tutorial strategies needed for directing the tutor to say the right thing at the right time. Examples of these issues were drawn for a computer based system for a simple game--How the West Was Won. The intention was to make explicit the vast amounts of tutorial knowledge required to construct a coaching system that is robust, friendly, and intelligent enough to survive in home or classroom use. (Author/JEG)

A new diagnostic modeling system for automatically synthesizing a deep structure model of a student's misconceptions or bugs in his/her basic mathematics skills provides a mechanism for explaining why a student is making a mistake as opposed to simply identifying the mistake. This report consists of four sections. The first provides examples of the problems that must be handled by a diagnostic model. It then introduces procedural networks as a general framework for representing the knowledge underlying a skill. The second section discusses some of the pedagogical issues that have emerged from the use of diagnostic models within an instructional system. This discussion is framed in the context of a computer-based tutoring/gaming system developed to teach students and student teachers how to diagnose bugs strategically as well as how to provide a better understanding of the underlying structure of arithmetic skills. The third section describes our uses of an executable network as a tool for automatically diagnosing student behavior, for automatically generating "diagnostic" tests, and for judging the diagnostic quality of a given exam. Included in this section is a discussion of the success of this system in diagnosing 1300 school students from a data base of 20,000 test items. The last section discusses some future research directions. (Author/MN)

This report addresses the problems of using natural language (English) as the communication language for advanced computer-based instructional systems. The instructional environment places requirements on a natural language understanding system that exceed the capabilities of all existing systems, including: (1) efficiency, (2) habitability, (3) tutorial capability, and (4) the ability to exist with ambiguity. Semantic grammar is presented as a paradigm for organizing the knowledge required in the understanding process that permits efficient handling of such phenomena as pronominalizations and ellipses. The need for a better formalism for expressing semantic grammars is met by the use of Augmented Transition Networks (ATN). The ability of the ATN-expressed semantic grammar to satisfy the mentioned requirements is demonstrated in the natural language front-end for the SOPHIE system. (Author/JEG)

Different kinds of basic knowledge and strategies necessary for comprehension are examined in three radically different domains: (1) the stories, (2) mathematical problems, and (3) electronic circuits. From analyzing the comprehension processes in these different domains, similarities have emerged in the role of planning knowledge and the strategies governing the application of that knowledge for synthesizing a deep structure analysis of a story, a math solution, or a circuit. Insights gained from these similarities can be applied to the problems of teaching learning strategies to students and developing an expanded theoretical basis for further research in learning strategies. (Author/CMV)

This paper describes a paradigm for tutorial systems capable of automatically providing feedback and hints in a game environment. The paradigm is illustrated by a tutoring system for the PLATO game "How the West Was Won." The system uses a computer-based "Expert" player to evaluate a student's moves and construct a "differential model" of the student's behavior with respect to the Expert's. The essential aspects of the student's behavior are analyzed with respect to a set of "issues," which are addressed to the basic conceptual constraints that might prevent the student's full utilization of the environment. Issues are viewed as procedural specialists that "wake-up" or become active when an instance of an issue manifests itself in a move. These issue specialists help the Tutor isolate what to comment on. The intent of the system is to transform a "fun" game into a productive learning environment without altering the student's enjoyment. (Author)

Automated Student Modelling explicates reasoning strategies, the representation of procedural skills, and underlying misconceptions as manifested in errors. A diagnostic model, based on a "procedural network" as opposed to a "semantic network," is presented which provides a technique both for modelling the underlying cognitive processes of a procedural skill and for finding a way to account for manifested errors in the performance of that skill. A technique is described for analyzing the problem solving trace or protocol of a student and then automatically synthesizing a model of the problem solving strategies and motivations which were used to arrive at the solution. The underlying theory captures the reasoning powers of a master tutor and is seen as useful for guiding a computer-based laboratory tutor and for measuring how problem solving performance is evolving. It differs from classical computer assisted instruction by focusing on techniques for teaching procedural knowledge and reasoning strategies which are best learned through hands-on tasks with the guidance of an automated intelligent tutor. (Author/DAG)

Examines complexities involved in developing a school-administrator preparation program in the Republic of Georgia. Discusses eight conditions influencing differences in countries' educational practices. Presents 10 major issues to be resolved, including vision and goals, degree of centralization, leadership and education models, past/present linkages, school structure, curriculum design, accountability, and resources. (38 references) (MLH)

Discusses situated learning in the workplace and in the classroom. Topics addressed include operationalization versus legitimization of educational theories; instruction versus learning; explicit versus implicit instruction and knowledge; individual versus social context; systems narrowly construed versus systems broadly construed; and legitimate peripheral participation. (21 references) (LRW)