This paper outlines the design and development of an intelligent tutoring technique to personalize the navigation of individual users in the course content and generate advice to students. Based on that, a framework for adaptive e-learning, the e-Learning Guide system (eLGuide), is implemented and an empirical evaluation of the prototype is conducted to assess the possibility of its integration with web-based learning systems. The system is tested in a real setting with the SQL-A Database Language course comprising postgraduate students of the computer science program, all new to database systems. The evaluation study shows a positive impact on learning outcomes. The results of the experimental study allowed us to conclude that eLGuide is a useful framework, which can be employed in a web-based learning environment to support students as well as teachers in a better way. ß 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 23:542-555, 2015; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae;