Proceedings of the NARST 2009 Annual Meeting COMPUTER PROBLEM-SOLVING COACHES

It is well documented that a targeted curriculum based on the cognitive apprenticeship approach can help students become better problem solvers in introductory physics courses. However, the efficiency of these curricula is constrained by the restricted amount of time available for students to practice solving problems while receiving coaching, either from instructors or peers. Well-designed web-based computer programs might provide a way around this limitation by providing students with effective coaching outside of the classroom. We describe an on-going effort to develop and assess such computer coaches