ITADS: A real-world intelligent tutor to train troubleshooting skills

Abstract

Real-world intelligent tutoring systems are important ambassadors for promoting wide adoption of the technology. Questions about affordability, quality control, operational readiness, training effectiveness, and user acceptance are significant in this context. This paper describes ITADS, an intelligent tutor developed to provide a problem-based, experiential learning tool to complement schoolhouse training. The goal was to train US Navy Information Systems Technology support staff in troubleshooting skills through the use of realistic simulations and automated assessment and feedback. This paper describes the tutoring system and a preliminary validation study of its training effectiveness. The results demonstrate that the system is effective in improving troubleshooting knowledge and skills. The ITADS system was successfully developed in twenty-six months from requirements to validation, following strict systems engineering procedures. The results of the training effectiveness study indicate that the ITS also leads to significantly improved performance among Navy IT recruits in troubleshooting tasks.