This report describes the current version of the Why System, a script-based Socratic tutor which uses tutoring strategies formulated as production rules. The current system is capable of carrying on a dialogue about the factors influencing rainfall by presenting different cases to the student, asking for predictions, probing for relevant factors,…

Requirements for a desirable authoring system are reviewed and a proposal for an interrogative authoring system presented. (Author)

Model building techniques from Artifical Intelligence and Information-Processing Psychology are applied to human-computer interface tasks to evaluate existing interfaces and suggest new and better ones. The model is in the form of an augmented transition network (ATN) grammar which is built by applying grammar induction heuristics on a sequential…

This booklet describes two computer programs that were written to provide on-line aid to problem solvers. Both programs were designed for "membership" problems, or those in which there are several English sentences and implicit relationships. The task was to infer a membership structure that is compatible with all the logical constraints.…

The phrase "student computer dialogs" refers to interactive sessions between the student and the computer. Rather than using programing languages specifically designed for computer assisted instruction (CAI), existing general purpose languages should be emphasized in the future development of student computer dialogs, as the power and…

This paper describes a system which operates on an independent basis as well as connected to communications network, e.g., PLATO and ASCII based communication systems. The system also has facilities for local production and use of PILOT lessons, for support of a generalized programming language (NSBASIC), and for development of graphic sequences.…

In an attempt to overcome the lack of natural means of communication between student and computer, this thesis addresses the problem of developing a system which can understand natural language within an educational problem-solving environment. The nature of the environment imposes efficiency, habitability, self-teachability, and awareness of…

Establishes the need for literacy in dance; and describes two dance notation systems: the Massine notation method, and the Labanotation method. The use of interactive computer graphics as a tool for both learning and interpreting dance notation is introduced. (Author/VT)

Discusses the role of the computer as a personal learning aid, and describes a set of programs using conversational heuristics which interacts with the cognitive modeling processes of the participant. (Author/CMV)

Results of the experience gained in designing and using an autonomous computer-assisted testing system are reported, including conclusions based on more than two years testing with typical classes. In this system, definitely expandable auxiliary storage for testing items and programs or scores is provided. Cathode ray tube display of questions and…

This report describes the development of computer programs called user agents, which, through interaction with users, can either learn new facts and store them in a data base or learn new procedures for data manipulation and represent them as programs. These programs are written in RITA, the Rule-directed Interactive Transaction Agent system, and…

Reports on the development of the Individualized Instruction for Data Access System (IIDA), a computer system designed at Drexel University, which serves as an intermediary enabling users to perform complex tasks on another computer. Capabilities of the instruction mode and assistance mode are discussed. Fifteen references are cited. (EJS)

Computer-based systems combining quantitative simulation with qualitative tutorial techniques provide learners with sophisticated individualized training. The teaching capabilities and operating procedures of Steamer, a simulated steam plant, are described. (Author/MBR)

This two volume report presents descriptions of LOGO-S, an interactive programming language expressly designed for education, and the portable LOGO system, a computer software development. The modular structure of LOGO, along with its simple but powerful extension features, is naturally suited to problem solving in many problem domains with…

People use a variety of plausible, but uncertain inferences to answer questions about which their knowledge is incomplete. Such inferential thinking and reasoning is being incorporated into the SCHOLAR computer-assisted instruction (CAI) system. Socratic tutorial techniques in CAI systems such as SCHOLAR are described, and examples of their…