ITS + SBT: A Review of Operational Situated Tutors

Situated tutors combine features of intelligent tutoring systems with simulated environments. A construct definition for situated tutors was newly developed, and, in this article, we use it to classify an extensive review of operational instructional technologies in order to identify a robust set of situated tutors. We document 86 situated tutors, half of which directly support military training. Initial empirical evidence from these systems suggests that situated tutors may outperform traditional simulations or intelligent tutors. As additional evidence is gathered, we hypothesize that situated tutors will also demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness in cognitive readiness instruction.