An Experimental Evaluation of Logiocando, an Intelligent Tutoring Hypermedia System

Several hypermedia learning environments have been developed in the last years, with the objective of helping students to acquire specific concepts in a given domain, as well as problem-solving abilities. However, there are still many different and sometimes conflicting claims about learning effectiveness using such environments. We present an empirical evaluation of a learning hypermedia with a tutorial component that exploits Artificial Intelligence techniques. This hypermedia, called Logiocando, has been designed for use by a special category of user, namely children of the fourth level of primary school (9-10 years old), to help them to learn basic concepts of logic. This category of user demands special attention to usability of the hypermedia. For this reason, design and development of the hypermedia have been carried out following a learner-centred methodology, in order to build a system that satisfies clear usability objectives. The aim of the study herein reported was to evaluate the learning effectiveness of Logiocando and to estimate the difference between two approaches: computer-based using a hypermedia system, and traditional, namely a typical lesson in the classroom. The results have shown that the hypermedia can be considered a valid support in the process of learning and deepening a topic.