An intelligent learning environment for novice users of a GUI

Abstract

This paper describes an intelligent learning environment for novice users of a GUI. The learning environment allows users to work in a protected way; it monitors their actions and reasons about them so that it can make hypotheses about what their real intentions have been and examine whether these have been met. In case the system believes that the user has made an error it informs him/her about the error and suggests alternative actions that would have met his/her real intentions. In this way, a novice user can learn from his/her mistakes. The system performs student modelling which is based on an adaptation and implementation of a cognitive theory called Human Plausible Reasoning. The theory is used to simulate a novice user’s correct or incorrect thinking as long as this is plausible according to the theory.