A behavioral systems approach to adaptive computerized instructional design

Teaching College Level Content and Reading Comprehension Skills Simultaneously via an Artificially Intelligent Adaptive Computerized Instructional System

“…also discussed are strategies and tactics utilized by an artificially intelligent adaptive tutoring and testing software system designed to shape such comprehension skills while also teaching subject-specific "content" to college students. The system, called mediamatrix, offers internet delivery of relatively traditional textbook content using highly individualized and adaptive tutorial and assessment procedures (Ray, 1995a;1995b, 2004. Extant and new research on the effectiveness of this system is presented, with particular emphasis on a preliminary study of students in two small sections of an introductory psychology course.…”

“…We have already mentioned the unique adaptive internet-delivered programs offered in headsprout's reading development application, as well as its impressive achievements in student outcomes layng, Twyman, et al, 2004). an alternative computer-based strategy was detailed by Ray (1995aRay ( , 1995bRay ( , 2004 wherein he described the philosophy, design strategies, and pragmatics for an artificially intelligent adaptive tutoring and mastery certification system, called mediamatrix, that was designed from the outset to teach more advanced reading comprehension skills simultaneously with the teaching of subject-specific content. various versions of the mediamatrix instructional system have been operational for over a decade (Ray, 1995a(Ray, , 1995b but its strategies have always relied upon adaptive presentations of stimulus prompting/fading, as well as the successive approximation techniques of response shaping and the corresponding leaning (i.e., increasing intermittency) of reinforcement/ feedback density as a strategy for teaching higher order reading skills.…”

“…Taking the concept of alternative "levels" even further, mediamatrix was designed to begin with presentations that are similar to programmed instructional frames, but it gradually and adaptively, based on the dynamic tracking of student performance, increases or fades the obviousness of critical content underlining and other forms of prompting (Ray, 1995a(Ray, , 1995b. in addition, mediamatrix's selective presentation of textual units gradually decreases or increases the number of paragraphs (and thus the amount and complexity of content) the student must read and master prior to having mastery assessed and being presented feedback.…”

“…But much modern computerassisted instruction seems to have largely left behind the behavioral technologies that originally inspired machine-based instruction (e.g., larkin & Chabay, 1992). mediamatrix's instructional design (Ray, 1995a;1995b) is a major exception to this generalization, in that it relies quite heavily on the explicitly behavioral technologies of prompting/fading, response shaping, and the leaning of feedback density in the development of both immediate content fluency as well as the higher order behavior class of more generalized reading comprehension.…”

Train-to-Code: An adaptive expert system for training systematic observation and coding skills

“…As has been noted, this article introduces a new observer training system, called Train-to-Code (TTC), that incorporates an adaptive expert systems model for computerized training. More specifically, TTC trains observers via an operant response-shaping instructional model (R. D. Ray, 1995; that guides training by incorporating a gradation of successive approximations, or behavioral steps, to bridge the gap between novice skills and expert skills via a succession of escalating and targeted skill and support stages. As we apply it, shaping is a personally focused procedure used to facilitate a student's progression through successive skill development stages by supplying various degrees of stimulus prompting and accuracy-driven feedback as reinforcement.…”