Affective Engagement to Virtual and Live Lectures

Abstract

Affective engagement to university lectures needs external stimulation. This paper presents an empirical study on student’s engagement change to live and virtual lectures with complex, picture, video and human body movement stimuli. Each experiment lasted 30 min and was divided into 5 periods (10-5-5-5-5 min each). At the end of each period different stimuli were exposed: human interrupted the lecture; instructor presented slides; video materials; and intensive body movements. Stimuli and study materials for the live and virtual avatar- based lectures were developed following the same experiment lecture model. Avatar was created and animated with CrazyTalk software. Experimenting group consisted of 10 students, age 20–24, 4 females and 6 males. Changes of attention to lecture materials were measured using triple indicators: affective regulation monitored during all the lecture period with Muse portable headband device; cognitive self-regulation was measured before the lecture using questionnaire technique; behavioral regulation was observed using video recording through the entire lecture period. The highest concentration, attentiveness and active engagement was observed during the avatar-based lecture and complex human stimuli, while in live lecture all the stimuli activated approximately the same response. Image stimuli activated different reactions: in a live lecture it slightly tweaked student attentiveness, while in avatar-based lecture attentiveness was lowered. Reactions to video stimuli in both experimental groups were opposite as for image stimuli. These research results can prompt instructors how to construct training materials and implement additional stimuli grabbing student’s attention. We recommend mixing video and live lectures and using stimuli evoking and strengthening active engagements.