Learners’ skills decay during gaps in instruction, since they lack the structure and motivation to continue studying. To meet this challenge, the PAL3 system was designed to accompany a learner throughout their career and mentor them to build and maintain skills through: 1) the use of an embodied pedagogical agent (Pal), 2) a persistent learning record that drives a student model which estimates forgetting, 3) an adaptive recommendation engine linking to both intelligent tutors and traditional learning resources, and 4) game-like mechanisms to promote engagement (e.g., leaderboards, effort-based point rewards, unlocking customizations). The design process for PAL3 is discussed, from the perspective of insights and revisions based on a series of formative feedback and evaluation sessions.

Unfortunately, many students stop using these beneficial learning practices as soon Presented by Stephen Grossberg, Department of Cognitive as the metatutoring ceases. Apparently, the metatutors were and Neural Systems, Center for Adaptive Systems, and Center nagging rather than convincing. This talk will present a of Excellence for Learning in Education, Science, and study of Pyrenees, a metatutor that coaches students to focus Technology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215 on learning domain principles rather than solutions to A deep and rational understanding of the factors that influence examples. It was convincing, in that students who were effective education and learning technologies depends taught probability with Pyrenees used principle-based problem on a corresponding understanding of how the brain in health solving on post-test more so than students taught by Andes, and disease controls learned behaviors. There has been a which did not focus students on principles. Moreover, revolution in discovering new computational paradigms, organizational when all students were transferred to Andes for learning principles, mechanisms, and models of how of physics, those who were metatutored used the principlefocused learning processes enable brains to give rise to minds.

Many of the intelligent tutoring systems that have been developed during the last 20 years have proven to be quite successful, particularly in the domains of mathematics, science, and technology. We have been working on a new generation of intelligent tutoring systems that hold mixed-initiative conversational dialogues with the learner. The tutoring systems present challenging problems and questions to the learner, the learner types in answers in English, and there is a lengthy multiturn dialogue as complete solutions or answers evolve. This article presents the tutoring systems that we have been developing.

Many of the intelligent tutoring systems that have been developed during the last 20 years have proven to be quite successful, particularly in the domains of mathematics, science, and technology. They produce significant learning gains beyond classroom environments. They are capable of engaging most students' attention and interest for hours. We have been working on a new generation of intelligent tutoring systems that hold mixed-initiative conversational dialogues with the learner. The tutoring systems present challenging problems and questions to the learner, the learner types in answers in English, and there is a lengthy multiturn dialogue as complete solutions or answers evolve. This article presents the tutoring systems that we have been developing. AutoTutor is a conversational agent, with a talking head, that helps college students learn about computer literacy. andes, atlas, and why2 help adults learn about physics. Instead of being mere information-delivery systems, our systems help students actively construct knowledge through conversations.