1. 1 The Development of A Fraction Testing and Tutoring System Q. He & P. Brna Qingping He (CEM Centre, University of Durham, UK) & Paul Brna (SCRE Centre, University of Glasgow, UK )

2. 2 Background The Importance of Computer Aided Learning The Development of Intelligent Tutoring Systems Learning Fractions Existing Fraction Tutoring Systems Q. He & P. Brna

3. 3 The Aim To develop an interactive computerised Fraction Testing and Tutoring System (FTTS) which is delivered through the Web. The system incorporates learning capabilities for the purpose of both tutoring and testing fractions for school students aged 10-12 Q. He & P. Brna

4. 4 The Issue The FTTS system adopts a learning through assessment approach which focuses on learners improving their understanding at the same time as forming an estimate of their current state of knowledge. Q. He & P. Brna

5. 5 The Derry Learning Model Q. He & P. Brna

6. 6 System Design and Implementation Q. He & P. Brna FTTS is developed as a Web application Involves the Use of Flash and ASP Uses an OO design and programming approach Uses a Client-Server architecture

7. 7 Q. He & P. Brna The Fraction Item Bank Contains 30 question types Questions are Multiple-choice questions Each item is an independent Flash movie with a unique identification number and a type identification number

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9. 9 The Help System Contains 30 help topics Each help topic corresponds to a fraction question type Each help topic is an independent Flash movie with a unique identification number Most help topic movies contain animation

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11. 11 Q. He & P. Brna System Delivery

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14. 14 Q. He & P. Brna The Testing and Tutoring Session The test contains 3 sections, starting from Section 1 Section 1 and Section 3 contain the same questions but in different order. No help is available in the 2 sections Section 2 contains a different set of questions, and help is available in this section. Assessment of the effectiveness of the system in tutoring fractions

15. 15 Q. He & P. Brna The Testing Process

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17. 17 Q. He & P. Brna The Tutoring Process

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24. 24 Q. He & P. Brna Initial System Evaluation The ease of use of the system The clarity of the instructions provided by the system The clarity of the questions contained in the system The usefulness of the animations provided by the help system The usefulness of the system in helping students to learn fractions Suggestions for further improvement.

25. 25 Conclusions and Further Work Conclusions FTTS provides intuitive insight into fraction concepts and skills through the application of animations FTTS adopts a learning through assessment approach to tutoring Further Work A full evaluation of the effectiveness of the system in tutoring students fractions Development of additional question types Analysis of items Animations for non-animated help topics Further refinement of the existing animated movies Q. He & P. Brna