GURU: A Self-extending Tutor Model for Pascal Programming

Abstract

One of the major components of an ITS is the tutor model. Its primary objective is instruction and remediation. This design is part of a full-blown ITS for Pascal and will focus on the design of the tutor models’ domain knowledge and a learning algorithm for its extension. This tutor model is comprised of a set of strategies in teaching basic Pascal programming, a knowledge base consisting of rules specifying the best strategy to utilize, and an algorithm that determines which teaching action (rule) to be deployed given the goals of the system and the current state of the student model. It is usually the case that the domain knowledge is incomplete, thus making the tutor model incapable of using the instructional method appropriate to the learner-user. It is therefore necessary for an effective ITS to embody a learning algorithm, for it to be able to modify its knowledge base through generalization, specialization, and the application of rule probability theory, thereby extending its domain knowledge.