Pedagogical Agents Research Articles

A Cognitive Assistant for improving human reasoning skills

Abstract Cognitive Assistants support humans and enhance their capabilities in solving a wide variety of complex tasks. In this paper, we introduce a Cognitive Assistant named LIZA that is developed as a pedagogical agent and aims at improving the reasoning and decision making abilities of its users. This Cognitive Assistant is able to hold conversation with users in natural language in order to help them solve problems of common heuristics and biases. Using controlled experiments, we demonstrate that LIZA could help test persons improve their reasoning skills, and show that LIZA achieved significant higher learning gains than a non-interactive online course.

Animated pedagogical agents as aids in multimedia learning: Effects on eye-fixations during learning and learning outcomes.

The goal of the present study is to determine how to incorporate social cues such as gesturing in animated pedagogical agents (PAs) for online multimedia lessons in ways that promote student learning. In 3 experiments, college students learned about synaptic transmission from a multimedia narrated presentation while their eye movements were tracked and subsequently took learning outcome tests. In Experiments 1 and 2, students who had a gesturing PA added to the screen performed significantly better on learning outcome tests of transfer (ds = 0.77 and 0.80) and retention (ds = 1.16 and 1.00) and spent more time attending to target material based on eye-tracking measures including fixation time (ds = 1.53 and 2.27) and number of fixations (ds = 1.54 and 1.70). In Experiments 2 and 3, students who learned with a gesturing PA outperformed those who learned with a static PA on transfer (ds = 0.72 and 1.02), retention (ds = 0.96 and 0.93), fixation time (ds = 2.07 and 1.82), and number of fixations (ds = 1.64 and 2.99). In Experiment 2, adding a static PA to the screen did not improve performance. In Experiment 3, adding signaling such as color coding did not improve performance for students who received a gesturing PA. Results support the embodiment principle that people learn better from onscreen multimedia lessons when a gesturing PA is added to the screen, and social agency theory, which posits that social cues can prime learners to process the material more actively and develop better learning outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)

Let's Set Up Some Subgoals: Understanding Human-Pedagogical Agent Collaborations and Their Implications for Learning and Prompt and Feedback Compliance

Research on collaborative learning between humans and virtual pedagogical agents represents a necessary extension to recent research on the conceptual, theoretical, methodological, analytical, and educational issues behind co- and socially-shared regulated learning between humans. This study presents a novel coding framework that was developed and used to describe collaborations between learners and a pedagogical agent (PA) during a subgoal setting activity with MetaTutor, an intelligent tutoring system. Learner-PA interactions were examined across two scaffolding conditions: prompt and feedback (PF), and control. Learners’ compliance to follow the PA's prompts and feedback in the PF condition were also examined. Results demonstrated that learners followed the PA's prompts and feedback to help them set more appropriate subgoals for their learning session the majority of the time. Descriptive statistics revealed that when subgoals were set collaboratively between learners and the PA, they generally lead to higher proportional learning gains when compared to less collaboratively set goals. Taken together, the results provide preliminary evidence that learners are both willing to engage in and benefit from collaborative interactions with PAs when immediate, directional feedback and the opportunity to try again are provided. Implications and future directions for extending co- and socially-shared regulated learning theories to include learner-PA interactions are proposed.

Recent studies on Pedagogical Agents: A selected research review and reconsideration

Recent studies on Pedagogical Agents: A selected research review and reconsideration

Social media for e-learning of citizens in smart city

The rapid development of social media can be applied for citizens’ e-learning in a smart city. Big cities have to cope with several open issues like a growing population or a traffic congestion. Especially, a home and public space is supposed to be used in more efficient way. Sustainable homes and buildings can be planned with using some modern techniques. Even currently, there is a huge problem with a lack of key resources like water and energy. So, an efficient management of resources is strongly required. What is more, a global warming and carbon emissions are considered as some critical factors for living conditions in many cities, too. A vision of a smart city is related to a better protection of a natural environment and a more efficient use of it. Moreover, citizens expect an efficient and sustainable transportation in livable city. To present some solutions on above issues, this paper outlines the methodology of using social media to provide necessary knowledge by citizenship training systems. In particular, some selected e-learning applications have been characterized. They are related to pedagogical agents in e-learning. In addition, some advanced meta-heuristics have been proposed with particular emphasis on genetic programming, artificial neural networks, neuro-evolution algorithms, support vector machines, and some collective intelligence algorithms. Finally, cloud services are discussed regarding a smart city management and training.

The State-of-the-Art Pedagogical Agent Technology in the Field of Learning Science

The State-of-the-Art Pedagogical Agent Technology in the Field of Learning Science

Using embodied pedagogical agents in collaborative learning by knowledge integration: An experimental investigation on instruction and gaze gestures using eye movement analysis

Using embodied pedagogical agents in collaborative learning by knowledge integration: An experimental investigation on instruction and gaze gestures using eye movement analysis

Multi-agent system for computer science and engineering education

The paper aims to analyse application trends of intelligent multi-agent systems to personalise learning. First of all, systematic literature review was performed. Based on the systematic review analysis, the main trends on applying multi-agent systems to personalise learning were identified. Second, main requirements and components for an educational multi-agent system were formulated. Third, based on these components a model of intelligent personalized system is proposed. The system employs five intelligent agents: (1) learning styles identification software agent, (2) learner profile creation software agent, (3) pedagogical suitability software agent, (4) optimal learning units/scenarios creation software agent, and (5) learning analytics/educational data mining software agent.

Brokering and bridging knowledge in health and physical education: a critical discourse analysis of one external provider’s curriculum

ABSTRACTBackground: There has been a proliferation of external agencies ‘knocking on the door’ of, and being welcomed into, Health and Physical Education (HPE). This opens HPE up to new products, partners, and services. Although scholarship on the practice of outsourcing HPE is steadily growing in quantity and in scope, there is a significant gap in the literature around how external providers (or outsourcers) of HPE interpret the curriculum, and how this translates into certain kinds of products and services.Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse one external provider’s interpretations of the curriculum and of the roles of key pedagogical agents and stakeholders (e.g. HPE teachers and students), as well as their translation of these interpretations into particular kinds of products and services. This is achieved through a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of Tennis Australia’s Tennis in Secondary School (TSS) Program teacher resources and interviews with key employees of Tennis Australia.Methods: The larger study from which this paper draws is a network ethnography of the external provision of HPE. TSS was selected as a case study in the initial web-audit undertaken as part of this network ethnography. The criteria which resulted in the selection of TSS as a case study were: the utilisation of educational language within product descriptions or marketing, provision of services to a significant number of schools, and a rationale for services that included a contribution to HPE. A CDA was undertaken on the TSS advertising, product materials, teacher resources, and the transcripts of semi-structured interviews conducted with three employees of the organisation.Findings: Tennis Australia markets an explicit alignment between their TSS Program and the Australian Curriculum: HPE (AC:HPE). For example, teacher resources are structured to include a ‘Learning Intention’ (i.e. a curriculum content descriptor); ‘Focus Questions and Teaching Points’ (i.e. pedagogical styles); and ‘Success Criteria’ (i.e. self-described ‘assessment criteria’). Significantly, however, there were several tensions and gaps in their interpretations and understandings of the AC:HPE and their approaches to pedagogy and assessment within the subject.Conclusion: External agencies, such as Tennis Australia, are becoming increasingly sophisticated at marketing their products in relation to HPE curricula. Rather than divesting or relieving teachers of curriculum decision-making and design responsibility, however, we argue that these efforts from external agencies mean that now, more than ever, teachers need to recognise, articulate, and enact their pedagogical and curriculum expertise. This will allow teachers to better broker, bridge, and translate knowledge and ensure that HPE remains an educative experience.

Crosswalk: Performing the City as a Learning Experience

Crosswalk is a site-responsive performance conducted in the middle of a pedestrian crossing in the inner streets of Melbourne and exposed in the homonymous video attached to this article. The performance – an experiment with the duet dance form of Argentine tango – emerged out of a practice-based process of inquiry. My failed attempt to find my tango in the city while finding my place in the city through the tango becomes a drive to explore the nexus between learning and the experience of publicness and defuse the rationalist reliance on the isolated cognitive individual as the key pedagogical agent and target. I argue that, in Crosswalk tango worked (or could have worked) as a reverse public pedagogy through somatic connection not only between dance partners but also with the broader environment. Becoming vulnerable to the otherness of the outside world is one way of promoting diversity and fostering plurality.

¿Qué esperan los maestros de los Agentes Conversacionales Pedagógicos?

Los Agentes Conversacionales Pedagógicos son sistemas interactivos que enseñan a los estudiantes asumiendo el rol de profesor, estudiante o acompañante mediante un diálogo en lenguaje natural. Mucho se ha investigado sobre los dominios en los que se pueden usar los agentes, los resultados a nivel de eficacia educativa y nivel de satisfacción y motivación de los estudiantes. Sin embargo, en la literatura no se encuentran muchos ejemplos de estudios que revelen la opinión de los maestros sobre este tipo de tecnología educativa. En este artículo, se proporcionan los resultados de una encuesta realizada a 82 maestros de 4 colegios de la zona sur de Madrid para saber qué esperan de los agentes. En particular, se dará respuesta a las siguientes preguntas de investigación: P1) ¿conocen esta tecnología educativa?, P2) Si es así, ¿están acostumbrados al uso de este tipo de tecnologías en el aula?, y P3) Si tuvieran poder de decisión en el diseño del agente, ¿qué características consideran que son las más adecuadas? ¿cómo debería reaccionar el agente antes diversas situaciones? De los resultados obtenidos, se espera proporcionar información a todos los investigadores, diseñadores y profesores que quieran integrar este tipo de tecnología educativa en su aula.

Effects of Pedagogical Agents on Students’ Mathematics Performance: A Comparison Between Two Versions

This experimental study investigated the effects of the use of two versions of a pedagogical agent named personal instructing agent (PIA) on the mathematics performance of students. The first version exhibits synthetic facial expressions while the second version does not exhibit facial expression (i.e., neutral facial expression). Two groups of students with the same levels of prior knowledge in mathematics utilized two different versions of PIA. The first group—the facial group—utilized a PIA that provides textual and facial expressions feedback (happy, sad, surprise, and neutral facial expressions). The second group—the nonfacial group—used the same software except that PIA only exhibited neutral facial expression. The study showed that the mathematics scores of the students in the facial group significantly improved as compared with those who are in the nonfacial group. The posttest scores of the facial group were found significantly higher than those of the nonfacial group. The study showed that PIA that exhibited synthetic facial expressions improved students’ mathematics learning. It is concluded that synthetic facial expressions and textual feedback of pedagogical agent can be utilized to help students learn to solve mathematics problems. Limitations and recommendations are also presented.

An Emergency Academic Support – Syrian Refugee Students in the Turkish Higher Education

Before the civil war broke out in Syria following the uprising in March 2011, Turkey and Syria had a rather good relationship permitting an easy crossing of the border and letting thousands of Syrian nationals to pursue their studies at the northern neighbor. With the deepening of the fights in Syria, the number of refugees flowing into the Turkish Republic was growing, and according to recent statistics, an estimated 3 million Syrian asylum seekers reside on Turkish soil. Some of them live in refugee camps, some of them with family members holding Turkish citizenship, and an increasing number of them made Turkey their home thanks to scholarship programs provided by the Turkish government, universities or civil society organizations. In our present paper, we would like to analyze the usage of the method of secondary data analysis the current situation of Syrian refugee students studying at Turkish universities. We would first concentrate on the statistical aspect of the issue using the tables provided by the Turkish pedagogical agent called Measurement, Selection and Placement Center (OSYM) and the Higher Education Board (YOK), the total number of students and the academic and social background of those benefitting from the above opportunities. Later on, we project to highlight the main reason why a refugee can find Turkey an ideal place for his or her academic career and research, what their rights and duties and how can they contribute to the development of Turkey and the refugee community int hat country. The story of refugee students in Turkey can prove how survivals of a disastrous tragedy can have a benefit from a quality education in order to be reintegrated into society and promote peace and understanding. How to cite: Bariscil, A. (2017). An Emergency Academic Support - Syrian Refugee Students in the Turkish Higher Education. Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala , 9(1), 39-49. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18662/rrem/2017.0901.03

The Use of an Autonomous Pedagogical Agent and Automatic Speech Recognition for Teaching Sight Words to Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

In the current study, we examined the effects of an instructional package comprised of an autonomous pedagogical agent, automatic speech recognition, and constant time delay during the instruction of reading sight words aloud to young adults with autism spectrum disorder. We used a concurrent multiple baseline across participants design to evaluate the efficacy of intervention and conducted post-treatment probes to assess maintenance and generalization. Our findings suggest that all three participants acquired and maintained new sight words and demonstrated generalized responding.

Animated Pedagogical Agents to Assist Learners and to keep them motivated on Online Learning Environments (LMS or MOOC)

Animated Pedagogical Agents to Assist Learners and to keep them motivated on Online Learning Environments (LMS or MOOC)

Ageism – Age coherence within learning material fosters learning

Pedagogical agents are frequently used in digital learning environments. On the basis of the computers-as-social-actors paradigm (CASA), learners do not differentiate between the interaction with these characters and any other social interaction. Therefore, the appearance of pedagogical agents is vulnerable to stereotyping mechanisms such as ageism. In addition, research suggests that the activation of stereotypes also depends on the context of accompanying verbal information. In this study, participants were randomly assigned to one cell of a 2 (stereotype of the agent: young vs. old) × 2 (stereotypical priming within the text: young vs. old) between-subjects factorial design in order to examine if stereotypes impact learning processes. In addition to retention and transfer scores, cognitive load and motivational data of learners were collected. Results revealed that transfer performance is only enhanced when agents and texts activate together either old or young stereotypes, whereas retention performance was not affected by the manipulation. In addition, the manipulation did not result in differences in any cognitive or motivational scores. The results can be explained by the coherence principle which postulates that information from different media should be congruent in order to foster process fluency.

Digital Guidance for Susceptible Readers: Effects on Fifth Graders’ Reading Motivation and Incidental Vocabulary Learning

In this digital era, a fundamental challenge is to design digital reading materials in such a way that they improve children’s reading skills. Since reading books is challenging for many fifth graders—particularly for those genetically susceptible to attention problems—the researchers hypothesized that guidance from a digital Pedagogical Agent (PA) could improve students’ reading motivation and incidental vocabulary learning. Using a sample of 147 fifth-grade students, the researchers carried out a randomized control trial with three groups of students reading: (a) hardcopy (print) books, (b) digital books, and (c) digital books with a PA. For students with a genetic predisposition to attention problems, carriers of the DRD4 seven-repeat allele, the PA supported their incidental vocabulary learning. For noncarriers, there were no effects of the digital reading materials or the PA.

Framework for Improving Usability of Learning Management Systems by Integrating Pedagogical Agent

Framework for Improving Usability of Learning Management Systems by Integrating Pedagogical Agent

The Effect of the Metacognitive Support via Pedagogical Agent on Self-Regulation Skills

Flipped Classroom (FC) has become an increasingly popular model in many disciplines in today’s educational system. In order for the FC model to be effective, it is important for the student to have self-regulation skills. It is especially important that students have advanced self-regulatory skills so that the online learning process of the FC model can be successfully completed. It is believed that the metacognitive support (MS) provided by the pedagogical agent during the online process of the FC model will contribute to the development of self-regulation skills of the students. The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of MS via pedagogical agent in the FC model on students’ self-regulation skills.The research was carried out according to experimental design, and the participants of the research consist of 102 university students. The data of the study were collected using self-regulated learning scale. As a result of the research, it was seen that the students of the experimental group who were provided MS with the pedagogic agent were found to have a statistically significant higher level of self-regulation skills than the control group students who were not provided with MS. Several suggestions have been made for the use of pedagogical agent-assisted MS in the design of FC courses.

Exploring the affective, motivational and cognitive effects of pedagogical agent enthusiasm in a multimedia learning environment

In a traditional classroom environment, instructor enthusiasm has been shown to enhance student’s emotion, affective perceptions, intrinsic motivation, and cognitive outcome. Additionally, emotional response theory argues that enthusiastic verbal and nonverbal cues of an instructor will induce positive emotional states in learners, which in turn, enact learners’ approach behaviours in the learning process. Therefore, should a pedagogical agent convey enthusiastic behaviours in a multimedia learning environment? Literature and theoretical reviews offer two competing views. The first view, based on emotional response theory, predicts that enthusiastic verbal and nonverbal cues of a pedagogical agent can induce higher positive emotions in learners, which in turn, enhance affective perceptions, intrinsic motivation, and cognitive outcome. However, the second view, based on cognitive load theory, suggests that pedagogical agent enthusiasm may increase extraneous cognitive load (additional processing in the mind), which negatively impact emotion, affective perceptions, intrinsic motivation, and cognitive outcome. To investigate the effects of agent enthusiasm, seventy-two university freshmen interacted with either an enthusiastic agent or a neutral agent (operationalized through vocal tones, facial expression, gestures, and remarks) that simulates the instructional role of a virtual tutor that delivers narrative demonstrations on how to predict the outputs of C-Programming algorithms. The results of our study showed that pedagogical agent enthusiasm significantly enhanced emotion, intrinsic motivation, affective perceptions, and cognitive outcome. Moreover, mediation analyses revealed that the facilitating effects of agent enthusiasm on intrinsic motivation, affective perceptions of the learning environment, and affective perceptions of the pedagogical agent were fully mediated by a learner’s positive emotion, thus demonstrating that the framework of emotional response theory can be applied to learner-agent interaction in a multimedia learning environment. Implications and suggestions for future research related to pedagogical agent enthusiasm are discussed in this paper.