Mass Producing Example- Tracing Tutors Bruce McLaren Human-Computer Interaction Institute Carnegie...

Mass Producing Example-Tracing Tutors

Bruce McLarenHuman-Computer Interaction InstituteCarnegie Mellon University

PSLC Summer School July-August, 2006© Vincent Aleven & Bruce McLaren, 2006

What is Mass Production?• Many learning situations require repetition of similar

problems, but authoring many similar Example-Tracing Tutors is hard– It is time-consuming to demonstrate individual problems– Inconsistency between problems is often introduced

• Examples:– Practice fraction addition problems in a math class– Drill on proper use of articles in a language class

• CTAT mass production allows us to use a single demonstration as the basis for many tutored problems of the same type


Step 1: Enter variables into the template


Save a copy of your existing graph


Insert variables in the start state

• Close the Behavior Recorder• Open the newly saved BRD in a text editor• Work backwards from <MessageType>

StartStateEnd</MessageType>replacing constants with variables.


<?xml version="1.0" standalone="yes"?>

<stateGraph firstCheckAllStates="true" caseInsensitive="true" unordered="true" lockWidget="true" version="1.0" suppressStudentFeedback="false"> <startNodeMessages> <message> <verb>NotePropertySet</verb> <properties> <MessageType>StartProblem</MessageType> <ProblemName>1416</ProblemName> </properties> </message> <message> <verb>NotePropertySet</verb> <properties> <MessageType>InterfaceAction</MessageType> <Selection> <value>firstNumGiven</value> </Selection> <Action> <value>UpdateTextArea</value> </Action> <Input> <value>1<value> </Input> </properties> </message>


<?xml version="1.0" standalone="yes"?>

<stateGraph firstCheckAllStates="true" caseInsensitive="true" unordered="true" lockWidget="true" version="1.0" suppressStudentFeedback="false"> <startNodeMessages> <message> <verb>NotePropertySet</verb> <properties> <MessageType>StartProblem</MessageType> <ProblemName>1416</ProblemName> </properties> </message> <message> <verb>NotePropertySet</verb> <properties> <MessageType>InterfaceAction</MessageType> <Selection> <value>firstNumGiven</value> </Selection> <Action> <value>UpdateTextArea</value> </Action> <Input> <value>%(num1Given)%<value> </Input> </properties> </message>


<Selection><value>firstNumGiven</value>

</Selection><Action>

<value>UpdateTextArea</value></Action><Input>

<value>%(num1Given)%<value></Input>

• Enter variables for all four text areas.• Save your BRD.• Open it in the Behavior Recorder.


Add variables for input matching


Modify hints to include variables


Save your file


Step 2: Create a problems table


Create a problems table


Create a problems table (continued)


Step 3: Input problems into problems table


Input problems into problems table


Input problems into problems table• Save the problems table


Step 4: Merge Problems


Merge problems


Merge problems (continued)


Step 5: Test and Revise• Launch both the Student Interface and

Behavior Recorder• Open individual mass-produced problems• Test them for accuracy and completeness• If necessary, revise the problems table

and/or template BRD


Conclusion• Mass Production allows us to generate

many tutored problems of the same type• Issues to be aware of:

– Tutored problems must have exactly the same graph structure to be represented in one problems file

– Not all fraction addition problems are alike, e.g., 1/2 + 1/2 doesn’t have the same problem solving structure as 1/4 + 1/6

– Be careful to use the full “%(“ and “)%” variable representation. Easy to forget the closing “)%”

• Let’s try it out!


Hands-On Assignment #2• Mass produce several fraction addition tutors

– Use the “Mass Production Guide” hand-out as an aid– Go to the directory…/Projects/Examples/Exercise2-MassProduction– Use the following files in this directory:

• a completed user interface (i.e., “fractionAddition.fla”), • a completed BRD file (i.e., “1-2+1-3.brd”) and • a partially completed BRD template file (i.e., “1-2+1-3-

BRDTemplate.brd”) – Extend the partially completed BRD template file and mass

produce tutors for:• 1/2 + 1/3• 1/3 + 1/5• 1/4 + 1/5• 1/6 + 1/7

• Thought experiment: Will this BRD template mass produce tutors for any fractions? If not, what are its limits?


Differences in FractionsFraction Addition Problems

Same Denoms,e.g., 1/2 + 1/2

One denom is amultiple of the other, e.g., 1/2 + 1/4

Different denoms, one is not a multiple of the other,e.g., 1/2 + 1/3

Simplificationrequired, e.g., 1/3 + 5/12

Simplification not required, e.g., 1/2 + 1/4

Simplificationrequired, e.g., 1/7 + 2/12

Simplification not required, e.g., 1/2 + 1/3

Structure varies -- what to do?- Different templates for diff. problem classes- Hints as variables

And this doesn’t include whole numberresults!


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