Can Intelligent Tutoring Systems address some of the Challenges of our Education Ecosystem

In vast country like India with economic disparity and concentration of resources in the larger urban centers the quality of education resources available also vary a lot.

In terms of literacy, Rural India has challenges such as a shortage of competent teachers, a low teacher-to-student ratio, inadequate infrastructure, low motivation, and a poorly prepared curriculum.

The huge shortage of teachers in many rural areas has lead to a unique phenomenon called multi-grade classes is one in which one teacher instructs several grade levels at the same time.

A rural student's top focus is to get by for the day rather than strive for and work for a better future. Rural kids will benefit from a curriculum that is relevant and known to them, as well as a learning objective that emphasizes contextual problem-solving. Students differ in terms of their knowledge, skills, interests, learning styles, and expertise growth.

We need to explore if Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs) can address some of these issues.

What are Intelligent Tutoring Systems

An intelligent tutoring system (ITS) is a computer program that tries to provide learners with instant and individualised teaching or feedback,?usually without the need for human participation. ITSs share the goal of allowing meaningful and effective learning through the use of a variety of computing technologies. ITSs are utilised in a variety of areas, including formal schooling and professional settings.

The 'intelligence' of ITS is derived through the usage of artificial intelligence techniques in four interconnected components: The domain knowledge is stored in the knowledge base, the student model represents the student's current knowledge state, the pedagogical module contains appropriate instructional measures based on the content of the student model, and the user interface allows ITS and the student to communicate effectively. The knowledge base is usually at the centre of the instructional process, but there are a variety of approaches that emphasise the other components as well.

Examples of ITSs in Use

There many examples of ITSs developed by some of the leading universities in the world.

Algebra Tutor PAT (PUMP Algebra Tutor or Practical Algebra Tutor) developed by the Pittsburgh Advanced Cognitive Tutor Center at Carnegie Mellon University, engages students in anchored learning problems and uses modern algebraic tools in order to engage students in problem solving and in sharing of their results. The aim of PAT is to tap into a students' prior knowledge and everyday experiences with mathematics in order to promote growth.

Mathematics Tutor The Mathematics Tutor (Beal, Beck & Woolf, 1998) helps students solve word problems using fractions, decimals and percentages. The tutor records the success rates while a student is working on problems while providing subsequent, lever-appropriate problems for the student to work on. The subsequent problems that are selected are based on student ability and a desirable time in is estimated in which the student is to solve the problem.

REALP REALP was designed to help students enhance their reading comprehension by providing reader-specific lexical practice and offering personalized practice with useful, authentic reading materials gathered from the Web. The system automatically build a user model according to student’s performance. After reading, the student is given a series of exercises based on the target vocabulary found in reading.

The Question that I would like to pose is Can we build on these examples and the vast research available on ITSs and build customized solutions to address our problems?

Seeking inputs from all of you