Embodied learning companions

 

Motivation

  • Arguing and working with data is an essential skill for today’s workforce.
  • Lack of socio-emotional scaffolding can hamper learning processes.
  • Learning companions, implemented as 2-D/3-D virtual characters, can
    • evoke trust with human-like shape and form (appearance realism)
    • provide multimodal adaptive support based on inferring multimodal student behaviors (behavior realism)
  • Existing work on learning companions is typically closed-source and/or requires extensive authoring.

 

Exemplar use case: Data literacy

How can we develop embodied learning companions as an experimentation platform to study the effects of scaffolding on learning through problem-solving?

Cognitive (e.g., task/content-focused) 
Metacognitive (e.g., reflection-focused)
Emotional (e.g., regulation-focused)
Motivational (e.g., persistence-focused)
Relational (e.g., rapport-building focused)

 

Solution

Ongoing efforts:


Target outcomes:

Improved learning (conceptual understanding, transfer)
Improved emotion regulation
Improved metacognitive awareness