An initial framework of contexts for designing usable intelligent tutoring systems

The notion of context has been an issue of research in various aspects of intelligent systems such as knowledge management, natural language processing, reasoning and so on. This paper focuses on the various contexts surrounding the design and use of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) and proposes an initial framework of contexts by classifying them into three major groupings: interactional, environmental and objectival contexts. Interactional contexts are used by the system, environmental contexts surround its design and use while objectival contexts refer to the objectives of an educational system as exhibited by its 'teaching' and 'assessment' practices. A better understanding of these contexts is essential for designing better and more usable intelligent tutoring systems.