CTAT Tutors XBlock

This is the basic XBlock framework used to deploy tutors developed using the Cognitive Tutor Authoring Tools from Carnegie Mellon University.

Cognitive Tutors have been successful in raising students' math test scores in high school and middle-school classrooms, but their development has traditionally required considerable time and expertise. With the Cognitive Tutor Authoring Tools (CTAT), creating Cognitive Tutors is both easier for experts and possible for novices in cognitive science. The tools draw on ideas of programming by demonstration, structured editing, and others.

Installation

The steps to install all XBlocks can be found on edX's XBlocks integration page. Follow the instructions outlined in the Testing section if you're running the devstack or scroll down to those outlined under Deploying your XBlock if you're not.

How to Configure

Once the XBlock is installed, use Studio to add tutors to a course by navigating to a unit and clicking on Advanced and then on ctatxblock. To change which tutor is deployed, click on Edit and use the text inputs to specify the url to the html interface file and the brd file. These files need to be hosted on a web server accessable by your users and use CTAT version 4.1.0 or greater. There are additional spaces for specifying the size of the tutor, logging information, and advanced configuration options.