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Animated Pedagogical Agents: The Effect of Visual Information on a Historical Figure Application
ARTICLE

, , Athabasca University, Canada

IJWLTT Volume 4, Number 1, ISSN 1548-1093 Publisher: IGI Global

Abstract

The role of Animated Pedagogical Agents (APAs) depends on an understanding of the persona effect as a mechanism for increasing student engagement and motivation. We argue that historical figure applications of APAs may be helpful to identify the parameters that give rise to a persona effect. Given the importance of visual information, an experimental approach was used to examine how different image conditions would affect perception of a historical figure APA interaction. Eighty-eight participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions; no image, static image, or animated image. Contrary to expectations, the no image condition was associated with significantly higher ratings for 6 of the 12 measures, including 3 measures of social presence. These findings stand in contrast to previous research and suggest that historical figure applications may be unique in their evocation of a persona effect and valuable for understanding the nature of the persona effect.

Citation

Heller, R. & Procter, M. (2009). Animated Pedagogical Agents: The Effect of Visual Information on a Historical Figure Application. International Journal of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies, 4(1), 54-65. IGI Global. Retrieved September 1, 2024 from .

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