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Vincent Aleven |
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Synergy Between Worked-out Examples and Tutored Problem Solving "Tutored problem solving" as implemented in ITSs has proven to be a highly successful instructional approach. In addition, much empirical research in the context of non-interactive learning environments has shown clear value of worked examples as a supplement to problem-solving practice. It is not clear, however, whether worked examples would be equally helpful in the context of tutored problem solving. It may be that worked examples are largely redundant with the support offered by an automated tutor. On the other hand, worked examples might free a learner from having to attend to the details of problem solving and thus free up some "headroom" to focus on conceptual aspects of the problem domain. In a series of studies with the Geometry Cognitive Tutor, carried out in collaboration with Ron Salden, a postdoc in the HCII, and in collaboration with colleagues in Freiburg, Germany, we found that worked examples as "adjuncts" to tutored problem solving have a positive effect on students' learning (although the advantage is not as pronounced as it is in non-interactive environments). Thus, worked examples and tutored problem solving are synergistic, not redundant, forms of instruction, combining two success stories in technology-enhanced learning. |
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