The use of intelligent hypertutoring systems technology for engineering education

Summary form only given. At the School of Engineering at Vanderbilt University, new learning environments based on a combination of artificial intelligence-based instructional methods, qualitative simulation, and intelligent hypertext are being used to augment and enhance undergraduate engineering education. This combination of methodologies is termed intelligent hypertutoring. The goal of the work is to provide virtual laboratory experiences for undergraduate engineering students which will not only provide individualized instruction, but also significantly reduce the cost of laboratory instruction. The system is expected to offer a full-featured authoring system based on the hypermedia technology. Instruction is founded on a well-known theory of instruction by Gagne. The user interface will be a graphical direct manipulation interface. The general architecture for the intelligent hypertutoring system is shown.<>