Animated Pedagogical Agents: Face-to-Face Interaction in Interactive Learning Environments
In IJAIED
11 (1)
Publication information
Abstract
Abstract. Recent years have witnessed the birth of a new paradigm for learning environments:
animated pedagogical agents. These lifelike autonomous characters cohabit learning
environments with students to create rich, face-to-face learning interactions. This opens up
exciting new possibilities; for example, agents can demonstrate complex tasks, employ
locomotion and gesture to focus students' attention on the most salient aspect of the task at hand,
and convey emotional responses to the tutorial situation. Animated pedagogical agents offer
great promise for broadening the bandwidth of tutorial communication and increasing learning
environments' ability to engage and motivate students. This article sets forth the motivations
behind animated pedagogical agents, describes the key capabilities they offer, and discusses the
technical issues they raise. The discussion is illustrated with descriptions of a number of
animated agents that represent the current state of the art.
