how to use pedagogical agents in your elearning
TRANSCRIPT
About the Author
Annu Paulose, a senior Instructional Designer for InfoPro Learning, has more than six years of experience in the field of ELearning. She received a Masters Degree in Industrial Psychology and valuable experience of teaching the same subject in graduate and pre-university levels before beginning her career as an ID. Annu finds her inspiration mainly through reading, especially works of fiction.
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
Here are Two Sample Course Screens:
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
Which Sample Do You Find More Effective?
For most of us, it is easier to relate to the second example. Why? Because it
is in harmony with the personalization principle—it uses a conversational
style, has an effective on-screen coach, and a visible author.
Let’s look at the significance of the second aspect of the personalization
principle—using effective on-screen coaches or pedagogical agents.
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
Pedagogical Agents
Pedagogical agents are virtual life-like characters used in online learning
environments who help guide the learning processes.
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
Pedagogical Agents
These on-screen coaches serve various instructional goals, they:• Act as instructors or motivators
• Interact with learners
• Provide cognitive support
• Offer social enrichment to the learning experience
• Provide human-like assistance
• Reduce learner anxiety and frustration
• Act as a learning companion
• Support learning and instruction
• Guide learners
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
How Can You Represent Pedagogical Agents
in Your eLearning?
You can represent them visually as cartoon-like characters, as a talking-head
video, or as virtual reality avatars; and represent them verbally through
machine-simulated voice, human recorded voice, or printed text.
You can also represent them as real people using video and human voice or
artificial characters using animation and computer-generated voice.
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
Do Pedagogical Agents Enhance Learning?
Why should you invest time and money to incorporate pedagogical agents
into your elearning?
Because if you don’t, your learning outcomes will suffer.
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
Pedagogical Agents Improve Performance
In a study by Moreno, Mayer, Spires, & Lester, 2001, it was seen that students
who learned by interacting with an on-screen agent generated 24 to 48
percent more solutions in transfer tests than the students who learned
without an agent.
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
Pedagogical Agents Improve Performance
In another study (Atkinson, 2002), a group of students learned to solve
proportionality word problems with the help of an on-screen agent who
spoke to them, giving a step-by-step explanation for the solution. On a
subsequent transfer test, these students generated 30 percent more correct
solutions than the students who learned without an agent.
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
Pedagogical Agents Improve Performance
Hence, there is clear evidence suggesting that it is worthwhile to consider
the role of animated pedagogical agents as aids to learning.
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
Pedagogical Agent Qualities
What makes an effective agent? Do people learn better from human-looking
agents or cartoon-like agents?
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
Pedagogical Agent Qualities
Research suggests that a lifelike image is not always an essential component
in an effective agent. There is not much of a difference in learning when a real
character is used or a cartoon-like animated character. In addition, people
learn just as well when the image of the character is present or absent, as
long as they can hear the agent’s voice.
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
Agents Need Realistic Human-Like Behavior
Agents may not have to look real, but evidence does indicate that these
agents should demonstrate human-like actions in terms of their gestures,
movements, and eye-gaze. In a study by Lusk and Atkinson (2007), it was
found that students learned better from an on-screen agent who used
human-like locomotion, gestures, and eye-gazes rather than from an agent
who was physically present but did not move, gesture, or gaze at the learner.
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
Agents Need Realistic Human-Like Behavior
Therefore, on-screen pedagogical agents do not need realistic human-like
appearance but do need realistic human-like behavior.
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
Agents Have to Sound Conversational
An important factor that makes the agents effective is that they have to
sound conversational. Various studies show that people learn better when:
• Words are spoken rather than presented as on-screen text (modality effect)
• Words are spoken in a conversational style rather than a formal style (the
personalization effect)
• Words are spoken in a human voice rather than a machine-simulated voice
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
Consider the Following Suggestions When
Using Pedagogical Agents:
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
I
Present the agent’s words as speech rather than text, in conversational style
rather than formal style, and with human-like rather than machine-like
articulation
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
II
Use agents to provide instruction rather than for entertainment purposes
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
III
Use some first- and second-person constructions—“I,” “we,” “me,” “my,”
“you,” and/or “your”—in the script for a narration or the text for an on-
screen passage to create the feeling of conversation between the course and
the learner
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
IV
Do not overdo the personalization style in the script as this might distract
the learner
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
Though pedagogical agents are constrained by programming, and cannot
replace a real teacher or mentor, it is advisable to use them in your online
courses, as research indicates a positive impact on learning.
How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
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How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning
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