Utilizing Learning Styles for Interactive Tutorials

Web-based learning environments, such as eLearning and distance learning systems, have become more common and popular in commercial and educational settings. They constitute a growing business today, and the concept of learning ‘anywhere, anytime’ has received much attention. These systems are still in their infancy, however, and are faced with various challenges to become fully effective tools. Their lack of individual preferred ways of instruction is a challenge we address in this paper. We introduce a Web-based learning environment that teaches concepts from Artificial Intelligence to college students. This environment is intended to be used as a complementary tool for the standard lectures. By adapting the instruction and learning material to the individual student’s learning style, the tutorial gives the student a personal learning experience. The system was developed in collaboration with HCI students to combine the use of learning styles with the principles of user-centric design.