Case-Based Learning and Problem Solving in an Adaptive Web-Based Learning System
Gerhard Weber · 2004
Learning via the Internet is one of the fastest growing areas in the World Wide Web. Not only universities are using the Internet for delivering complete courses or providing materials for classes, but also companies more and more are using the Internet for online training courses in further education. Catchwords like “learning on the job” and “learning on demand” show the demand for learning and training that is offered around the clock and can be accessed from home or from anyplace in the world. However, most existing Web-based learning systems only provide static hypertext pages that offer not much more than printed texts or slides of presentations. In many cases, streaming videos, animated pictures, and interactive animations enhance Internet-based learning with features that cannot be found in traditional printed texts. But most of these learning systems are far away from the capabilities that on-site learning programs can offer to support the learning process. Especially in the case of the acquisition of problem-solving skills, intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) have shown advantages over simple textbooks and even over learning in traditional classes (Anderson, Corbett, Koedinger, & Pelletier, 1995).