Intelligent tutoring system authoring tool for manufacturing engineering education

Intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) have potential for making computer-based instruction more adaptive and interactive, but development in the area of manufacturing engineering has been rare. However, recent developments in the area of ITS authoring tools may make this technology more accessible. The objectives of this study were to: 1) evaluate the feasibility of faculty course development using an ITS authoring tool; and 2) evaluate the instructional effectiveness of the developed courseware. An ITS authoring tool called XAIDA was used to develop a tutorial on how to use a computer numerical control (CNC) machine. This paper summarizes the results of a preliminary evaluation conducted with 25 undergraduate manufacturing engineering students. The results suggest that instructional development in XAIDA is feasible and quick, and that students learned from and enjoyed the tutorial.