The document describes the Smart Sudoku Tutor (SST), an intelligent tutoring system for teaching Sudoku. The SST consists of several key components: (1) a Sudoku game, (2) learning content on Sudoku rules and two solving strategies, (3) a pedagogical model to determine tutor responses based on student mistakes, and (4) a learner model that tracks student strategy use and errors. The SST interface allows students to access learning materials, receive hints while playing Sudoku puzzles, and gets recommendations on content to review based on their performance and progress. The goal is to adapt instruction to individual students, as a human tutor would.

1. Intelligent Tutoring Systems
Professor: Roger Nkambou
Smart Sudoku Tutor
Students: Soroosh Ghorbani
Aboubacar Kande
December 31, 2012

2. Contents
• Objective
• Introduction
• SST Architecture
o Sudoku Domain
Base Sudoku Game
Learning Contents
o Sudoku Pedagogy
o Learner Model
• Manual: How to use it?
• Conclusion
Objective
This project extends existing Sudoku game to an intelligent tutor which we call Smart Sudoku
Tutor (SST) that is capable to train Sudoku, its general rules and two different solving strategies
to a learner (player). SST also follows the actions of the player to identify what strategies he/she
applies while providing effective support according to his/her current learning objective (the
strategy that has been chosen). This report is organized as follows: after a brief introduction we
describe the architecture of our SST and its main components where we get into some important
details, after that, a short useful manual is provided that helps to use SST. Finally, we conclude
and summarize our experiences in this work.
Introduction
The main goal of an ITS is to be able to adapt instructions and learning contents to each
individual student, in a similar way that a human teacher does. To achieve this goal, our Smart
Sudoku Tutor consists of several important modules and components that we introduce bellow.

3. SST Architecture
The major parts of this architecture are as follows:
• Sudoku_ Domain
Base Sudoku Game
A Java-based implementation of Sudoku solver was used as the basis of our tutor. We
chose it as the base because we found it flexible to be modified, enriched and combined
with our other required tools, design and programming languages like FLASH and
HTML. That advantage made it possible to add our desired learning materials (including
hints and instructional guides and contents), player action monitoring modules and
dialogue conducting mechanisms to the basis.
Learning Contents
Two types of learning contents have been provided for learners:
Sharable Content Objects (SCOs): Instructional contents that have been prepared
in FLASH in accordance with E-learning standard of SCORM (Sharable Content
Object Model). We have implemented 3 SCOs including “Sudoku and Its General
Rules”, First solving strategy, “Only Possibility” and the second solving strategy,
”Unique Number in Element”.
Hints: These are instructional guides that are provided for learner during his/her
play activity.
These solving methods and their related guides and hints, both are based on the concept
of pencilmarks in Sudoku game.
• Sudoku Pedagogy
We identified three different types of mistakes of the player. The reaction of the SST
depends on error (mistake) and how much critical it is. Table 1 summarizes our
assumptions and ideas about these mistakes and the tutors’ intervention.
Table 1. Mistakes and the way they are managed in SSR
Type of Mistake How it is managed
Immediate Response: Graphically and by using the
The player doesn’t know the Sudoku proper hints, the actions of the player are validated.
and its general rules This type of mistake is curtail and therefore, is handled
immediately.
The player have not learned the first Although the user can receive help and informative
solving methods, but still he doesn’t hints in advance, these types of mistakes are

4. make a mistake that violates Sudoku accumulated and the SST based on those information
rules. will propose an appropriate learning contents to the
player. This will happen whenever the player starts to
play again…Therefore, there’s no need to immediate
reaction.
Although the user can receive help and informative
hints in advance, these types of mistakes are
The player have not learned the accumulated and the SST based on those information
second solving strategy, but still he
doesn’t make a mistake that violates
will propose an appropriate learning contents to the
the rules player. This will happen whenever the player starts to
play again…Therefore, there’s no need to immediate
reaction.
The player (learner) can receive useful hints and instructional guides from the system
(based on the strategy he desires) to fill-in the puzzle.
• Learner Model
ITSs can create and revise individual instructional plans, guide and assist learners in their
learning process, and adapt the instruction environment to the learner’s needs. Therefore, the
key component of an ITS is the one that allows these instructions to be adapted to each
learner: the learner model: a component of the ITS where all the information about the
learner is stored, in particular his/her current state of knowledge.
To be able to build a more effective model of the player we have to collect all the required
information of him/her and his/her activities. Table 2, shows some of the defined variables
to hold this information.
Table 2. Predefined users list
Information to save Variable Usage
They can be used to manage more than
ID/Password user,pass one user and to be able to save different
users’ information.
To determine the type of hint that tutor
last_startegy should display at the next step. It is used
Player’s currently used strategy last_entered also to find the user’s often used
strategy.
To determine how the tutor should react
Player’s recent mistake last_mistake to users’ mistake and also to find the
players’ common mistake.
Strategy_Counter_1, It is used to suggest the proper
Player’s often used strategy Strategy_Counter_2 instructional content to learn.
It is used to suggest the proper
Player’s common mistake Mistake_Counter
instructional content to learn.

5. Manual
Figure 1 shows the first screen of our SST which identifies the user. We predefined some
different users to access and use our SST. Obviously, for larger numbers of users, some
enhancements (e.g. the possibility of Signing up, …) should be applied.
Table 3. Predefined users list
User ID Password
INF7470 uqaam
aa 11
bb 22
cc 33
Figure 1. The first screen of SST
Figure 2 illustrates the homepage of the program that makes it possible to access the different
parts of SST.
Figure 2. Homepage of SST
The first three top buttons direct the user to three different learning contents (or SCOs) as
follows:
• Introduction: Sudoku and Its General Rules
• First Solving Strategy: Only Possibility

6. • Second Solving Strategy: Unique Number in Element
Figure 3 shows a sample of these learning materials where the user can choose between two
types of learning contents: Text or Video which have been prepared in accordance with SCORM
standard.
Figure 3. A sample learning content
The forth button on the main SST window (Play Now) launches the Tutor recommendation
message. As figure 4 and 5 show, based on the previous records of the learner, SST recommends
him/her some appropriate learning contents.
Figure 4. Tutor Recommendation at the first log in

7. Figure 5. Tutor Recommendation at a sample point of time when the learner after having some attempts wants to
launch the game again. Here, he has made mistakes more than acceptable threshold of 6. Therefore, the system
recommends him to read and learn the basics of Sudoku!.
By confirming the message, the player is directed to the game environment, where s/he can play
and learn. Figure 6 illustrates the game environment. Instructional guides and hints are provided
through right pane of “Hints” and bottom box of “Explanation”. In addition graphical cues and
symbols help the player a lot.
Figure 6. The Game Environment

8. This environment allows the player to enter a new Sudoku puzzle by selecting the File/Generate
menu or load any partially solved ones by choosing the File/load option.
To enter the Sudoku puzzle, select a cell with the arrow keys or by clicking on it. Then type the
value, or click on one of the possible values. Press the spacebar or click again to clear the cell.
Some of the available options are as follows:
• Tools/ validity: to check whether the entered Sudoku is valid.
• Tools/Solve step: to get the solving hint based on your desired strategy that allows you to
perform the next solving step. The hint will appear in the right pane and detailed
explanation of the solving technique will be displayed in this area. Click again to apply
the hint that is shown, and to get the next solving step. To solve a Sudoku, just click this
button multiple times until the Sudoku is fully solved.
• Tools/Get next hint: After Solve step, you can use it to get another hint without applying
the one that is shown. Click multiple times to get more hints.
• Tools/Apply hint: to apply the current hint without getting the next one.
• Tools/Get a big clue: to get more information on the next solving step.
• Tutor: all the items here in this menu provide learning materials from “How to Play” to
mentioned solving strategies.
• Options/Solving Strategies There are two different strategies available.
It should be mentioned that clicking on the Exit Tutor button will close the tutor and its all
windows. To get recommendations like that one has been shown in figure 6, the player should
use the close button on the title bar of the window.
Conclusion
The intelligence of a tutor consists in its capability to adapt to each individual learner .making
such an integrated intelligent software needs a huge amount of effort and details, and meanwhile,
the learner model plays a significant role in the success of the system.