A framework for automated test generation in intelligent tutoring systems

Intelligent tutoring systems have being extensively researched, and are viewed as cost-effective alternatives to traditional education. However, it has been long recognized that development of such systems is labor-intensive and time-consuming, and that a certain degree of automation in the development process is necessary. This paper proposes a framework for automating test generation – one of the key components in an intelligent tutoring system. The core of the framework is a domain conceptual model, a collection of testing goals, and a collection of test-generation rules, and the latter two are formulated from an analysis of various modes of error and on the basis of the domain conceptual model.