16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of generating a utility function using the cognitive profile and wherein step (b3) further comprises updating the coefficients using both the utility function and an approximation of the utility function.
15. A method of generating a cognitive profile for a learner for use in selecting among different presentations of educational content delivered by a computer-based learning system, wherein the different presentations each have quantitative data representing the extent to which different attributes are present in the presentation, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing an initial set of coefficients that together form at least a portion of the cognitive profile, wherein the coefficients comprise numeric values each of which is associated with at least one of the attributes; (b) providing feedback through iterations of the following steps (b1)-(b3): (b1) presenting educational content to the learner using different presentations having varying emphasis on different ones of the attributes; (b2) determining which of the presentations given to the learner results in the greatest comprehension of the educational content presented; and (b3) updating the coefficients using the quantitative data associated with the presentation identified in step (b2).