PQtutor, a quasi-intelligent tutoring system for quantitative problems in General Chemistry

Abstract

The best tutors give a student the appropriate amount of guidance necessary for learning while helping the student stay confident, motivated and focused. So-called intelligent tutoring systems, trying to replicate the discipline-specific and the psychological dimensions of expert human tutoring, require enormous investments and are not accessible to the larger student population. PQtutor (physical quantities tutor) is a free online tutor designed to help students work out homework problems closely related to worked examples. The software is an extension of a free online calculator for science learners and uses problems from an open (free) textbook, making PQtutor accessible in terms of both technology and cost. PQtutor works by comparing student input to a model answer in order to generate prompts for finding a path to the solution and for correcting mistakes. The feedback is in the form of questions from a virtual study group suggesting problem-solving moves such as accessing relevant content knowledge, reviewing worked examples, or reflection on what their answer means. In cases where these moves have been exhausted but the problem remains unsolved, the tutoring system suggests seeking intelligent human help.