The development of an intelligent tutoring system for teaching Turkish as a mother tongue through speech synthesis and recognition technologies

The purpose of computer use for supporting teaching is to help students achieve a better learning. Accordingly, educational technologies have developed rapidly and given rise to more effective teaching techniques. One of these techniques is online learning through Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS). In this study, ITSs named TURKZOS and TURKNOBZOS were developed based on two different ITS models created in a web-based manner. TURKZOS and TURKNOBSOZ utilize speech recognition and synthesis technologies. While TURKZOS aims at teaching general subjects including reading, writing, and listening activities covered in the Turkish course, TURKNOBZOS deals with teaching the usage of punctuations and capital letters. TURKZOS employs overlay model while TURKNOBZOS uses constraint-based model and overlay model together. All kinds of contents can be loaded onto TURKZOS and TURKNOBZOS via content management system. In addition, the YSA model developed allows realizing whether a student has studied the pages sufficiently. With these properties, TURKZOS and TURKNOBZOS differ from other ITSs. In TURKZOS, 4 different assessment methods can be used for measuring the learning level of a student. These assessment methods are classic approach, MYCIN, Computer adaptive testing (CAT), and the mixed method in which CAT, MYCIN and fuzzy logic decision system are utilized together. Especially the last one is an authentic method constituted within the scope of this study. Apart from that, TURKNOBZOS is one of the first ITSs that teach the usage of punctuations and capital letters in Turkish in a problem-based way by providing students with feedbacks and tips concerning the mistakes they make. TURKZOS and TURKNOBZOS monitor students at every stage of learning process via student monitoring module, and direct them in accordance with their needs. Finally, user views imply that TURKNOBZOS and TURKZOS are valuable ITSs that can teach the usage of punctuations and capital letters in Turkish and general subjects including reading, writing, and listening activities respectively in a rapid and effective fashion by individualizing learning.