AN INTELLIGENT TUTORING SYSTEM FOR STATISTICS

INTELLIGENT TUTORING SYSTEMS (ITSS) PROMISE IMPROVED QUALITY OF EDUCATION AT REDUCED COST: THEY COULD PROVIDE THE BENEFITS OF ONE-ON-ONE TUTORING WITHOUT THE PERSONNEL COST. HOWEVER, THIS POTENTIAL HAS NOT YET BEEN REALIZED. A NEW TYPE OF ITS THAT ADDRESSES A FUNDAMENTAL FLAW IN TRADITIONAL APPROACHES IS PLANNED. THE OUTCOME OF ANY TEACHING INTERVENTION IS UNCERTAIN, AND THE STATE OF THE STUDENTS KNOWLEDGE IS UNCERTAIN. THIS APPROACH EXPLICITLY MODELS THIS UNCERTAINTY, PROVIDING A MORE ACCURATE MODEL OF THE STUDENT, AND ENABLING THE TUTORING SYSTEM TO LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE. IN PHASE I THIS ITS WILL BE APPLIED TO COLLEGE LEVEL STATISTICS EDUCATION. STUDENTS NEED A GOOD GRASP OF STATISTICAL CONCEPTS TO READ AND CRITIQUE SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE, PLAN AND CARRY OUT PROJECTS INVOLVING DATA COLLECTION, UNDERSTAND AND PRACTICE SCIENTIFIC METHOD IN RESEARCH, AND MAKE DECISIONS IN THE FACE OF UNCERTAINTY. HOWEVER, THERE IS WIDESPREAD CONCERN THAT STATISTICS IS NOT BEING TAUGHT EFFECTIVELY IN THE AMERICAN EDUCATION SYSTEM. AN ITS, PROVIDING ONE-ON-ONE TUTORING, COULD TRANSFORM STATISTICS EDUCATION.