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 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…

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…

Presented is an introduction to the operation and mechanics of the ACTP production system, a version of Anderson's (1976) ACT system. ACTP is already in use modeling geometry theorem proving and counting of a set of objects, and has been identified as a potentially useful programing framework for developing models of the cognitive processes used…

The goal of the present project was to identify the types of knowledge necessary and useful for competent troubleshooting/debugging and to examine how new approaches to formal instruction might influence the attainment of competence by students. The research focused on the role of general strategies in troubleshooting/debugging, and how they might…

One aspect of tutoring skill for technical subjects is individualized, adaptive sequencing of the problems given to students as learning exercises. A Curriculum Information Network (CIN) describes the relationships between the problems in a CAI curriculum and the concepts and skills that they are intended to teach. It is a basis for selecting…

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…

Examines the functional characteristics of intelligent computer assisted instruction (ICAI) and discusses the requirements of a multidisciplinary cooperative effort of its development. A typical ICAI model is presented and intelligent features of ICAI systems are described, including modeling the student's learning process, qualitative decision…

Describes the construction of a knowledge representation from the identification of the problem (nephrotic syndrome) to a running computer simulation of causal reasoning to provide a vertical slice of the construction of a cognitive model. Interactions between textbook knowledge, observations of human experts, and computational requirements are…

Discusses how collaborative learning (CL) can be used in a computer-assisted learning (CAL) environment for language learning, reviewing research in the fields of applied linguistics, educational psychology, and artificial intelligence. An application of CL and CAL in the learning of French as a Second Language, focusing on interrogative…

Discusses the artificial-intelligence-based microworld DiBi and MULEDS, a multilevel diagnosis system. Developed to adapt tutoring style to the individual learner. Explains that DiBi sets up a learning environment, and simulates elastic impacts as a subtopic of classical mechanics, and supporting reasoning on different levels of mental domain…

Explores a new educational application of Piaget's theories of cognitive development: the use, as a teaching tool, of physical robots conceived as artificial organisms. Reviews educational projects using real robots. Shows that the use of intelligent systems to enlarge the view of biological reality could become an integral part of curricula in…

The Computerized Comprehensibility System (CCS) provides an automated copy editing function, generating a mark-up of a draft of a technical document by simulating the simpler comprehension processes of a human reader, and then criticizing the text when these simple processes cannot successfully comprehend the material. A key CCS function is…

The pedagogical strategies of human tutors in problem solving domains are described and the possibility of incorporating these techniques into computerized tutors is examined. GIL (Graphical Instruction in LISP), an intelligent tutoring system for LISP programming, is compared to human tutors teaching the same material in order to identify how the…

A small set of relationships has been identified which appears to be sufficient for describing all molecular and cellular reactions and structures discussed in an introductory biology course. A precise definition has been developed for each relationship. These 20 relationships are of four types: (1) analytical; (2) spatial; (3) temporal; and (4)…