Introduction to the Special Issue on Real World Applications of Intelligent Tutoring Systems

Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) appeared during the 1970s, most driven by the success of knowledge-based systems and expert systems. ITS are able to instruct and train students and professionals without the intervention of human beings. ITS introduced a set of ideas, like the use of computational models of domains, allowing the possibility of reasoning and explaining domain problems automatically. Developments were made in trainees´ models, instructional and pedagogical planning, and user interface. In the 1990s, with the Web boom, some ITS ideas were incorporated in new computer-aided instruction paradigms, like e-learning and distributed learning. However, there is a clear difference in the level of interactions and types of skills addressed by ITS and other e-learning systems.