Artificial Intelligence

Intelligent computer-assisted instruction (ICAI) has three basic components: problem-solving expertise, student model, and tutoring module. The student using this type of program is presented with some information from the problem-solving expertise component. This is the knowledge base of this type of AI program. The student responds in some way to the material that was presented, either by answering questions or otherwise demonstrating his or her understanding. The student model analyzes the student's responses and decides on a course of action. Typically this involves either presenting some review material or allowing the student to advance to the next level of knowledge presentation. The tutoring module may or may not be employed at this point, depending on the student's level of mastery of the material. The system does not allow the student to advance further than his or her own level of mastery.

Most ICAI programs in use today operate in a set sequence of presentation of new material, evaluation of student response, and employment of tutorial (if necessary). However, researchers at Yale University have created software that uses a more Socratic way of teaching. These programs encourage discovery and often will not respond directly to a student's questions about a specific topic. The basic premise of this type of computer-assisted learning is to present new material only when a student needs it. This is when the brain is most ready to accept and retain the information. This is exactly the scenario most teachers hope for: students who become adroit self-educators, enthusiastically seeking the wisdom and truth that is meaningful to them. The cost of these programs, however, can be far beyond the means of many school districts. For this reason, these types of ICAI are used mostly in corporate training settings.