Customizing a Multimedia Tutor for Students Preparing to Take High Stakes Achievement Tests
Beverly Park Woolf, Ivon Arroyo, Carole R. Beal, Rena Walles · 2005
Abstract. Research suggests that multimedia and individualization of instruction are both effective ways to teach new material. This paper describes the integration of information about individual student cognitive characteristics into an intelligent tutor for high school geometry. The tutor presents a breadth of geometry problems with multimedia animations, embeds problems in narrative and fantasy and selects alternative teaching strategies based on a student’s cognitive abilities. We present an evaluation of the tutor that leads to conclusions of effectiveness and provide a guide for future adaptive versions of the tutor. Multimedia and Customization Both multimedia and customized teaching have been shown to be effective for learning. Multimedia has been shown to be effective in computer-based teaching and can range from simple graphics and animation to interactive lifelike pedagogical agents in rich, self-explaining 3D worlds (Lester et al., 1997). Advances in media technologies have created unprecedented opportunities for a new generation of knowledge-based learning environments. Some environments exploit artificial intelligence to support next-generation natural language dialogue. Animated pedagogical agents within learning environments can observe students ' progress, provide visually contextualized problem-solving advice and play a powerful motivational role.