With the rapid growth of technology, computer learning has become increasingly integrated with artificial intelligence techniques in order to develop more personalized educational systems. These systems are known as Intelligent Tutoring systems (ITSs). This paper focused on the variant characteristics of ITSs developed across different educational fields. The original studies from 2007 to 2017 were extracted from the PubMed, ProQuest, Scopus, Google scholar, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases. Finally, 53 papers were included in the study based on inclusion criteria. The educational fields in the ITSs were mainly computer sciences (37.73%). Action-condition rule-based reasoning, data mining, and Bayesian network with 33.96%, 22.64%, and 20.75% frequency respectively, were the most frequent artificial intelligent techniques applied in the ITSs. These techniques enable ITSs to deliver adaptive guidance and instruction, evaluate learners, define and update the learner’s model, and classify or cluster learners. Specifically, the performance of the system, learner’s performance, and experiences were used for evaluation of ITSs. Most ITSs were designed for web user interfaces. Although these systems could facilitate reasoning in the learning process, these systems have rarely been applied in experimental courses including problem-solving, decision-making in physics, chemistry, and clinical fields. Due to the important role of a cell phone in facilitating personalized learning and given the low rate of using mobile-based ITSs, this study has recommended the development and evaluation of mobile-based ITSs.

There is a need to change the focus of nursing education from traditional teacher-centered training programs to student-centered active methods. The integration of the two active learning techniques will improve the effectiveness of training programs. The objective of this study is to compare the effects of the integrated training (simulation and critical thinking strategies) and simulation-based training on the performance level and critical thinking ability of nursing students. The present quasi-experimental study was performed in 2014 on 40 students who were studying practical nursing principles and skills course in the first half of the academic year in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Students were randomly divided into control (n = 20) and experimental (n = 20) groups. After training students through simulation and integrated education (simulation and critical thinking strategies), the students' critical thinking ability and performance were evaluated via the use of California Critical Thinking Ability Questionnaire B (CCTST) and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) comprising 10 stations, respectively. The external reliability of the California Critical Thinking questionnaire was reported by Case B.to be between 0.78 and 0.80 and the validity of OSCE was approved by 5 members of the faculty. Furthermore, by using Split Half method (the correlation between odd and even stations), the reliability of the test was approved with correlation coefficient of 0.66. Data were analyzed using t-test and Mann–Whitney test. A significance level of 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. The mean scores of the experimental group performance level were higher than the mean score of the control group performance level. This difference was statistically significant and students in the experimental group in OSCE stations had significantly higher performance than the control group (P <0.001). However, the mean scores obtained for the critical thinking did not increase before and after the intervention. The results showed that, the students’ performance level was increased by the application of integrated training (simulation and critical thinking strategies).

Stories can contribute to the emotional well-being of children and storytelling is one of the new methods of teaching in the classroom. The main objective of the present study is to evaluate the effects of integrating digital Storytelling on the level of social intelligence and emotional intelligence in female elementary school students. In this quasi-experimental study, all third grade female elementary school students who were studying in an elementary school in Shiraz were involved based on the census method (N = 60). A quantitative approach was taken and the levels of social intelligence and emotional intelligence were examined in all participants before the training. Tromso social intelligence scale and Bar-on emotional intelligence inventory were used to measure the respondents’ social and emotional intelligence. Simple random sampling was performed and the participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention group in which digital Storytelling was integrated with group discussion (N = 30) or a control group in which there was no intervention (N = 30) using the random allocation software. The results showed that integrating digital storytelling with group discussion led to meaningful improvement in social intelligence and emotional intelligence among the female elementary school students, whereas in the control group no meaningful changes were observed. Therefore, a combination of digital Storytelling with group discussion is a potentially beneficial educational method for female elementary school students.