This experimental study investigated the impact of interface agent appearance (age, gender, “coolness”) on enhancing undergraduate females’ attitudes toward engineering. Results revealed that participants reported more positive stereotypes of engineers after interacting with a female agent. In contrast, participants interacting with a male agent reported that engineering was more useful and engaging. An interaction of “coolness ” and age indicated that agents who were young and “cool” (i.e., peer-like; similar to participants) and agents who were old and “uncool ” (stereotypical engineers) were both most effective on enhancing self-efficacy toward engineering. Keywords Interface agents, persuasion, attitude change, anthropomorphic interfaces, agent appearance, computer-based social modeling

Teaching and learning are highly social activities. Seminal psychologists such as Vygotsky, Piaget, and Bandura have theorized that social interaction is a key mechanism in the process of learning and development. In particular, the benefits of peer interaction for learning and motivation in classrooms have been broadly demonstrated through empirical studies. Hence, it would be valuable if computer-based environments could support a mechanism for a peer-interaction. Though no claim of peer equivalence is made, pedagogical agents as learning companions (PALs)-- animated digital characters functioning to simulate human-peer-like interaction-- might provide an opportunity to simulate such social interaction in computer-based learning. The purpose of this paper is first to ground the instructional potential of PALs in several social-cognitive theories, which include distributed cognition, social interaction, and Bandura’s social-cognitive theory. The paper discusses how specific concepts of the theories might support various instructional functions of PALs, acknowledging concepts that PALs cannot address. Next, based on the theoretical perspectives, the paper suggests seven key constituents for designing PALs that in human-peer interactions have proven significant: PAL competency, interaction type, gender, affect, ethnicity, multiplicity, and feedback. Finally, the paper reviews the current status of PAL research with respect to these constituents and suggests where further empirical research is necessary.

This article illustrates the utility of using virtual environments to transform social interaction via behavior and context, with the goal of improving learning in digital environments. We first describe the technology and theories behind virtual environments and then report data from 4 empirical studies. In Experiment 1, we demonstrated that teachers with augmented social perception (i.e., receiving visual warnings alerting them to students not receiving enough teacher eye gaze) were able to

Abstract—This paper describes intelligent virtual tutors for interaction skills training who can serve the roles of demonstrator, coach, trainer, mentor, and observer. These roles meet the needs demanded of tutors across stages of skill learning, stages that were derived from simulation-based individual training designed to meet international distribution standards. Lessons learned regarding elicitation of instructional knowledge, virtual tutor behavior modeling, and performance measurement are discussed. Index Terms—Coaching, distributed training, interaction skills, intelligent tutoring, mentoring, remediation. I. FAPV AND TUTORING The series of stages through which students advance in mastering skills has been described as familiarization, acquisition, practice, and validation (FAPV) [1]. Becoming familiarized with to-be-mastered skills implies gaining

In this paper, we develop a conceptual framework for an anthropomorphic change agent to motivate pre-service teachers to integrate technology into teaching and learning. This agent is designed with a hybrid persona that simulates a mentor and plays both motivation and companion roles. Based on the theoretical grounding in motivation and change agency and related research, we propose that a computer-based change agent will impact pre-service teachers ’ attitudes toward technology integration and improve their abilities to be effective users of educational technology. The impact on learning and instruction is explained as a process of changing perceptions and concerns about the value of using technology to support their learning. We build on models of innovation-decision processes and attributes of adoption of innovation and concern-based adoption. Practical considerations for the design of a virtual change agent are provided with respect to appearance, voice and emotional expression. Further research is also discussed, especially regard to empirical validation of specific components of the framework and longitudinal studies of teacher attitudes.

Abstract This paper discusses the use of natural language or „conversational‟ agents in e-learning environments. We describe and contrast the various applications of conversational agent technology represented in the e-learning literature, including tutors, learning companions, language practice and systems to encourage reflection. We offer two more detailed examples of conversational agents, one which provides learning support, and the other support for self-assessment. Issues and challenges for developers of conversational agent systems for e-learning are identified and discussed. 1