Design of an Intelligent Tutoring System to Create a Personalized Study Plan Using Expert Systems

Abstract

The article is devoted to the issue of the construction of an intelligent tutoring system which was created by our university for implementing distance learning and combined forms of studies. Significantly higher demand for such tools occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic when distance learning was used by students in their full-time studies. Current Learning Management Systems (LMS) do not address students’ individuality regarding their various levels of input knowledge and skills or their different learning styles, which, in our case, are based on sensory preferences. Therefore, this article proposes a model of an intelligent tutoring system to control learning by accentuating the individual needs of a student. The foundation stones of this system are an expert system and adaptation mechanisms. The expert system acts as a tool for the identification of students’ needs from the point of view of input knowledge and sensory preferences. Sensory preferences influence the student’s learning style. The implemented adaptation mechanisms control the progress of the student through a study unit. The model was implemented in the LMS Moodle environment. Regarding the focus of the research content, our model is oriented on the study of the English language, where each student receives a unique study plan, which is continuously adapted based on achieved results. We consider the focus on the individuality of the student to be an innovative approach that can be achieved automatically on a mass scale.

Keywords

• adaptive systems
• distance education
• intelligent tutoring systems
• expert systems
• language education
• e-learning