An ITS for Dutch punctuation

Abstract

This paper describes a prototype Intelligent Teaching System aimed at improving Dutch university students’ use of punctuation in writing and editing texts. Not only grammatical aspects of punctuation are considered, but also the effect of using different punctuation marks with respect to the rhetorical structure of the text. The system offers a student texts in which he should check the punctuation, and if necessary, make corrections. The system then analyses the student’s answer and the differences with respect to possible correct solutions, and gives specific feedback based on these analyses. Formative evaluation of the prototype suggests that it has some advantages over using textbooks, because it allows students to understand the way punctuation actually works, rather than merely teaching prescriptive rules.