Pedagogical agent

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Pedagogical agents

Meaghan Lister, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Definitions and background

Pedagogical agents are animated life-like characters used in electronic learning environments with which learners can interact and have meaningful conversations (Veletsianos and Miller, 2008; Bowman, 2012; Theodoidou, 2011). They have human-like characteristics including emotions, reactivity and speech (Velesianos, 2010; Theodoidou, 2011) and coordinate speech and narration with gaze and gestures (Dunsworth and Atkinson, 2007).

Pedagogical agents are found in educational programs from preschool to university as well as used as in roles such as virtual health coaches and information guides (Clarebout, Elen, and Johnson, 2002; Haake and Gulz, 2008). They can be used for many purposes including advising, tutoring, coaching, demonstrating, and modelling (Scroeder and Adesope, 2012; Mahmood and Ferneley, 2006) as well as acting as a learning companion or peer who encourages and motivates learners to put more effort into learning (Kim and Baylor, 2006; Yanghee and Baylor, 2006 ).

Pedagogical agents are designed with the goal of supporting learning and instruction in the electronic learning environment, (Veletsianos and Miller, 2008; Schroeder and Adesope, 2012) and they can adapt their level of support to the individual needs of the learner (Clarebout et. al., 2002). They can be used to guide learners to engage in learning activities (Lin, Chen, Wu, and Yeh, 2008).

Affordances

Pedagogical agents allow teachers to provide individualized instruction to learners which is tailored to the learners individual learning abilities, rate of learning, and needs (Mao and Li, 2010; Bowman, 2012). Unlike an internet search where you have to sift through information to find exactly what you are looking for, with pedagogical agents, learners can pose questions and receive targeted answers to support them in solving complex problems (Bowman, 2012).

Links

Instructional Design – Pedagogical Agents and Tutors
Design-A-Plant Will Put Virtual Teacher in Classrooms
The Teachable Agents Group at Vanderbilt University – Betty’s Brain
Pedagogical Agents
Pedagogical Agents on the Web

Works Cited

Bowman, C. D. (2012). Student use of animated pedagogical agents in a middle school science inquiry program. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(3), 359-375. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2011.01198.x

Chen, G.-D., Lee, J.-H., Wang, C.-Y., Chao, P.-Y., Li, L.-Y., & Lee, T.-Y. (2012). An empathic avatar in a computer-aided learning program to encourage and persuade learners. Educational Technology & Society, 15 (2), 62–72.

Mao, X. and Li, Z. (2010). Agent based affective tutoring systems: A pilot study. Computers and Education. 55, 202-208.

Schroeder, N. and Adesope, O. (2012). A case for the use of pedagogical agents in online learning environments. Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology. 1(2), 43-47.

Veletsianos, G. (2010). Contextually relevant pedagogical agents: Visual appearance, stereotypes, and first impressions and their impact on learning. Computers and Education. 55, 576-585.

Veletsianos, G., & Miller, C. (2008). Conversing with pedagogical agents: A phenomenological exploration of interacting with digital entities. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(6), 969-986. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2007.00797.x