Concepts of didactics in intelligent training systems

Intelligent training systems (ITS) overcome the limits of simulators in training operators of sophisticated physical systems. Intelligent computer tutors resemble human tutors as they can plan a lesson, monitor the trainees performance, give remedies and explanations, always adapting contents and form of the training course to the trainee cognitive needs and preferences. The paper reports basic concepts of didactics in ITS. Training objectives, strategies and methods are presented, as well as their use and combination in devising the training session plans. The ideas expressed are supported by examples from a real application in an industrial environment. The experience gained in specifying and developing the Electrical Equipment Maintenance Training system (EEMT) has been very fruitful in focussing problems and addressing the research efforts