Embedding intelligent tutoring systems in MOOCs and e-learning platforms

Abstract

Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) and MOOCs tend to have complementary pedagogical approaches, but their combination is rarely (if ever) seen. A key obstacle may be technical integration. We present a generalizable case study of extending ITS authoring technology to make tutors easily embeddable into a variety of MOOC/e-learning platforms and run on a range of web-enabled devices. We enhanced the domain-independent Cognitive Tutor Authoring Tools (CTAT) to enable integration of CTAT tutors into multiple environments. A salient lesson learned is that use of widely-used web-based technologies (HTML and JavaScript) may be a major factor in ITS uptake. Also, we found that embedding tutors into existing LMS is challenging, but environment-specific changes can be isolated in a generalizable manner.