The Expert and Planning Module of an Intelligent Pedagogical Agent for the Development of Critical Thinking

Abstract

Critical thinking, essential in contemporary education, has been the subject of research, which has focused on the creation of pedagogical strategies to promote and strengthen this skill in students. This study focused on designing an Intelligent Tutor System to develop this type of higher order thinking in university students. It was divided into two phases: design of the expert module, which devised learning paths and explored an algorithm, and the planning module, which covered automated planning, plan customization, outcome evaluation and testing. The findings highlight creating a didactic model of the learning path and validating a planning algorithm, called the Learning Progress Algorithm, as a formal, automated approach to improving critical thinking skills. The conclusion highlights the ability of the planning module, supported by the algorithm, to adjust to individual learner progress, which enables educational personalization and has practical implications for optimizing critical thinking in challenging contexts. This integrative approach reflects the synergy between educational technology and critical skills development within educational research.