Figure 1.

Each panel illustrates one of the four steps in a problem‐solving cycle with the tutor. The subpanels show the states of the tutor within a step. Each step starts with the last state of the previous step. The subpanels also indicate the minimal number of mouse clicks required to achieve that state for this specific problem. The first panel starts with the initial equation x − 10 = 17.

Step 1: The student selects a transformation to perform on this equation by clicking on the two sides of the equation (resulting in red highlighting) and choosing “Unwind” from the menu below. “Unwind” refers to undoing the operations surrounding the unknown; in this case undoing the “−10” by adding 10.

Step 2: The student expresses the result of the transformation by selecting a green box and entering 17 + 10. This results in the transformed equation x = 17 + 10.

Step 3: The student specifies that 17 + 10 is to be evaluated by clicking on this expression (resulting in the highlighting) and selecting “Evaluate” from the menu below.

Step 4: The student specifies the result of the evaluation by selecting a green box and entering 27. This creates the final answer x = 27. [Color figure can be viewed in the online issue, which is available at wileyonlinelibrary.com.]