Accepted Papers from TCEA Symposium 2008

Animated Pedagogical Agents: A Review of
Literature and Direction for Future Research

Michelle Morris, Ed.D.
Northwestern State University of Louisiana
College of Education

Sanghoon Park, Ph.D.
Northwestern State University of Louisiana
College of Education

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this paper is to review relevant literature concerning the use of animated pedagogical agents in online courses. This paper proposes that online courses utilizing life-like characters to deliver course content can be assessed using the emotional response theory. The underlining premise of the theory is that students’ perceptions of their pleasure, arousal, and feelings of dominance in online classes can be influenced by the use of animated pedagogical agents. Specifically, this paper proposes a hypothesis for future research stating that students experience more pleasure, arousal, and dominance when interacting with animated pedagogical agents in online courses.