How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning

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:

http://www.infoprolearning.com/blog/how-to-identify-culture-of-accountability-infopro-learning/






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.


Pedagogical Agents

Pedagogical agents are virtual life-like characters used in online learning

environments who help guide the learning processes.


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 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.


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.


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.



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.



Hence, there is clear evidence suggesting that it is worthwhile to consider

the role of animated pedagogical agents as aids to learning.


Pedagogical Agent Qualities

What makes an effective agent? Do people learn better from human-looking

agents or cartoon-like agents?


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.


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.


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.


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


Consider the Following Suggestions When

Using Pedagogical Agents:



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


II

Use agents to provide instruction rather than for entertainment purposes


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


IV

Do not overdo the personalization style in the script as this might distract

the learner


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.


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How to Use Pedagogical Agents in Your eLearning