Interactive video and artificial intelligence: a convenient marriage

This paper describes the theoretical framework of a research project aimed at exploring the new potentialities for instructional systems offered by videodisc technology and artificial intelligence methodologies and techniques. In the context of this project, 'Earth', a prototype of ITS, is being developed, which embodies the ideas presented. In an instructional system, interaction can be characterized by three properties: adaptivity, reactivity and flexibility. The existing interactive systems are adaptive and/or reactive. Flexibility is a new dimension of interaction allowed by videodiscs. In a flexible system the user explores a multi-media database of educational material and learning is a consequence of this exploration. In the paper, we briefly describe some of the major development problems and discuss how AI techniques provide a means to prevent the user from getting lost in the learning material.