PrivateTutor. (c2006)

Abstract

In this thesis, we present a dynamic, web-based, adaptive, interactive and intelligent tutoring system to help students learn basic mathematical concepts. The proposed system - Private Tutor - is composed of six different modules; each has a distinct function: student, domain, question, communication, expert, and controller modules. The purpose of this system is not to eliminate the role of human teachers, but to complement their effort in reaching all students and having one-to-one tutoring approach instead one-tomany. The constructivist theory has been adopted to be the system's pedagogy. PrivateTutor was tested on freshman students who were enrolled in a "Basic Mathematics" course in the Fall of 2005 and Spring of 2006 at the Lebanese American University. A questionnaire distributed to the same group of students inquired about their attitudes towards using the system, and the group's performance was compared before and after using the system. The experimental results proved the effectiveness and importance of Private Tutor.