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.