This collection of essays -- each of which treats an integral aspect of the field -- defines several key concepts and their interrelationships, outlines basic research issues, and discusses near-term applications projects. The book examines three foundations of ITSs in detail -- expert, student diagnostic, and instructional or curricular knowledge -- and describes:

* How they are embodied in computer-assisted instructional environments
* How these systems accrue the advantages of advanced computer interface technologies
* How ITSs will emerge in the real world of complex problem solving
* How researchers must learn to evaluate the effectiveness and overall quality of these dynamic systems in a world where machine tutoring may one day be taken for granted. Justine Wise Polier (1903-1987) was educated at Bryn Mawr, Radcliffe, and Barnard. She earned her law degree from Yale Law School where she was editor of the Yale Law Journal.

In 1935, she was appointed Justice of the Family Court where she sat for 38 years. Judge Polier took a leave from the bench in 1941 when she was appointed special advisor to Eleanor Roosevelt at the Office of Civilian Defense in Washington. She also served as Chairman of the Committee on Mental Health for New York.

Judge Polier was a founder and president of the Wiltwyck School; vice president of the Citizens Committee for Children of N.Y.; vice president of the American Jewish Congress; Delegate to the White House Conferences on Children and on Education. Judge Polier was a member of the Institute of Judicial Administration, American Bar Association. She was on the editorial board of the International Juridical Association and was awarded the 1964 Isaac Ray Award by the American Psychiatric Association for "contributions to the improvement of the relations of Law and Psychiatry." Following her retirement from the bench, she served as the director of the Juvenile Judge division of the Children's Defense Fund.

During her illustrious career, Judge Polier was the recipient of numerous awards including: the Citation for Distinguished Service to the City of New York, 1973; the Human Services Award from the New York and Bronx Mental Health Association, 1973; the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award from the Board of Directors of Wiltwyck School, 1975.

Judge Polier also published numerous reports and several books including: Everyone's Children, Nobody's Child; Back to What Woodshed?; A View from the Bench; and The Rule of Law and the Role of Psychiatry.