Thad Crews, Gautam Biswas, John Bransford, Susan Goldman, Mitchell Nathan, & Sashank Varma
Dept. of Computer Science & Learning Technology Center
Vanderbilt University,
Nashville, TN 37235.
Intl. Conf. on AI in Education, AI-ED'95, Washington, D.C., August, 1995.
The Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt (CTGV) is developing the Jasper Woodbury Problem Solving Series, a videodisc based program designed to motivate students and help them learn to think and reason mathematically about complex realistic problems. As part of this project, we are developing a collection of computer-based learning environments that incorporate constructivist theories, generative learning, and anchoring macrocontexts into an Intelligent Learning Environment design. The resulting paradigm, Macrocontexts Plus Microworlds (MPMs), involves microworld exploration and problem solving anchored within an interesting macrocontext. The AdventurePlayer system, a trip planning microworld, allows students to construct, evaluate, and reason about solutions to complex trip planning problems. Students construct a multi-step plan, then determine whether this plan represents a correct, and perhaps, optimal solution to the problem. The system includes beneficial aspects of intelligent tutoring systems and cognitive tools by incorporating reflective interaction, scaffolding, and coaching. An empirical study demonstrates the effectiveness of the system.
Keywords: Macrocontext Plus Microworlds, trip planning, optimal solutions, simulation, coaching.