Interface Module

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An interface module is required to coordinate the interaction between the student and the components of the intelligent tutoring systems. The intelligence built into the interface module must learn from experience by analyzing what the learner did in the past and adapting the interface for future interaction with the system. The interface module works with the pedagogical module to learn about the students so that the appropriate interface attributes can be developed for the learner. The interface module must be proactive by anticipating what the learner will do next and providing the most appropriate interface for the interaction. The interface module should also be able to sense the motivational level of the learner and use interface techniques that motivate learners. For example, if the subject matter of the learning session is tedious and boring for the learner, the agent in the interface module must be able to predict this motivational state and adjust the interface to make the boring subject matter more interesting. For learning sessions that are information intense, the interface module must adjust the interface to prevent information overload. Some ways to prevent information overload in the interface include presenting less concepts on one screen or organizing the information in the form of information maps to give the overall structure of the information and then presenting the details.

The agent in the interface module must learn from students so that when the same students or students with similar characteristics interact with the system, a similar interface is presented to the students. On the other hand, if learners complete another learning sequence from another system, an interface module agent should learn from the agent in the other lesson to build the interface for the learners. Interface modules must learn from their peers to meet learners’ needs.

The interface could take the form of graphics or text or another medium but will depend on the style of the student. The system should be able to infer the most appropriate interface for a student based on information provided by the student, the student learning style, and inferences made about the student and then use the specific interface for that student. In addition, the system must be able to select the appropriate interface for different ability levels of students. Novice students need a simple interface that provides the ability to get help when required, while more advanced students may need minimal help and may want to skip some of the steps in the learning process.

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