Embedding authoring support in an ITS for the learning of object-oriented programming

Abstract

Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) are of increasing importance for education in many areas. Existing authoring systems are no great support for authors of learning material. Authors should possess knowledge about the subject matter, pedagogical knowledge, and they need to acquire programmer skills, because most authoring languages are similar to normal programming languages. We propose a hypertext-based ITS with tools for structuring the subject matter without programming. Pedagogical knowledge is inherently realized in the system using AI-planning techniques. The authoring components are embedded in an ITS for the learning of object-oriented programming. It comprehends tools to support the visualization, animation, critique and testing of object-oriented programs written in Smalltalk.<>