Student modeling--the task of building dynamic models of student ability--is fraught with uncertainty, caused by such factors as multiple sources of student errors, careless errors and lucky guesses, learning and forgetting. Within the context of the Sherlock intelligent tutoring systems project, we have been experimenting with various ways of…

Metacognitive skills may be defined in a variety of ways. Generally, these ways all apply to people's thinking about their own personal thinking. This research study analyzed students' interactions to computer programs to assess their metacognitive skills. The metacognitive skills assessed were: (1) planning a course of action; (2) monitoring the…

Expert systems are computer programs that solve selected problems by modelling domain-specific behaviors of human experts. These computer programs typically consist of an input/output system that feeds data into the computer and retrieves advice, an inference system using the reasoning and heuristic processes of human experts, and a knowledge…

This paper argues that an important design principle for building expert systems is to represent all control knowledge abstractly and separately from the domain knowledge upon which it operates. Abstract control knowledge is defined as the specifications of when and how a program is to carry out its operations, such as pursuing a goal, focusing,…

This final report describes a general purpose system for developing intelligent tutors based on the Structural Learning Theory. The report opens with a discussion of the rules and related constructs that underlie cognitive constructs in all structural learning theories. The remainder of the text provides: (1) an introduction to the Structural…

This document outlines the strategies that are used for teaching and assessment in Dominie, an intelligent tutoring system designed to enable the user to operate a computer interface independently. Eight interaction modes are described in detail: four teaching strategies (cognitive apprenticeship, successive refinement, discovery learning, and…

This paper introduces and develops the premise that technology should be used as a tool to be adapted to early childhood education rather than adapting the preschool curriculum to computers. Although recent evidence suggests a national interest in having high technology play a role in the teaching of young children, particularly in reading,…

Desgined to serve as a guide to resources on artificial intelligence (AI) and expert systems, this Library of Congress bulletin is divided into 18 sections that contain lists of books, journal articles, periodicals, associations, and other sources of information. A brief statement of the scope of the guide introduces the sections, which are listed…

The role of artificial intelligence expert systems in administrative issues in special education is examined. Mandate Consultant (MC) is one such system designed to provide a second opinion on the consistency of school officials' actions in implementing the Individualized Education Program team process. MC employs rules based on the Education For…

This paper briefly reviews research on tasks in knowledge-rich domains including developmental studies, work in artificial intelligence, studies of expert/novice problem solving, and information processing analysis of aptitude test tasks that have provided increased understanding of the nature of expertise. Particularly evident is the finding that…

Four articles focus on computers, information technology, and education: (1) "Information Technology: Some Implications for Education" (A. G. Shannon, B. S. Thorton, and Gareth Locksley) examines the last phase of technological development, the communication phase, as it relates to computer technology in education; (2) "Computers in…

Possible futures for the world of mainframe computers can be forecast through studies identifying forces of change and their impact on current trends. Some new prospects for the future have been generated by advances in information technology; for example, recent United States successes in applied artificial intelligence (AI) have created new…

This paper draws from several disciplines to provide a foundation for making progress toward a unified conception of thinking in science education. Areas covered include: (1) the philosophy of science (discussing contextual realism); (2) cognitive psychology (describing development of scientific thinking skills); and (3) artificial intelligence…

This paper addresses the characteristics and applications of artificial intelligence (AI) as a subsection of computer science, and briefly describes the most common types of AI programs: expert systems, natural language, and neural networks. Following a brief presentation of the historical background, the discussion turns to an explanation of how…

A study to determine how three advanced technologies might be applied to the needs of special education students helped inspire the development of a new method for identifying such applications. This new method, named the "Hybrid Approach," combines features of the two traditional methods: technology-push and demand-pull. Technology-push…