Courseware development with animated pedagogical agents in learning system to improve learning motivation

Abstract

The addition of animated pedagogical agents (APAs) in computer-assisted learning (CAL) systems could successfully enhance students' learning motivation and engagement in learning activities. Conventionally, the APA incorporated multimedia materials are constructed through the cooperation of teachers and software programmers. However, the thinking and technical gap between two roles, a concept/content provider (teacher) and an implementer (software programmer), may lead to the concept distortion and loss in the final teaching material implementations. This often results in preventing a teacher from preparing his or her own APA-based multimedia learning systems. This study aims to develop a courseware to facilitate the CAL through the combination of the two roles into a single one and then teachers can use it freely by themselves. The courseware can help teachers to develop appropriate multimedia instructional materials incorporating APAs, which attracts students' attention and enhances their interest in learning. Furthermore, in this study two separate trial experiments were conducted to measure the teachers' satisfaction with the courseware and students' learning motivation after using APA-based multimedia learning systems. The results show that the participating teachers were satisfied with the courseware and would like to apply it in their instruction. Moreover, the participating students were strongly motivated by the customized APA-based multimedia learning systems. Therefore, the proposed courseware could give teachers a good opportunity to add pedagogical value to the curriculum, so that students' learning interest and motivation could be enhanced.

Keywords:

• learning motivation
• courseware
• animated pedagogical agents
• computer-assisted learning
• multimedia learning systems

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the National Science Council of the Republic of China under Contract Nos. NSC101-2629-E-035-001, NSC 101-2221-E-156-012, and NSC 101-2511-S-468-005.

Notes on contributor

Kai-Yi Chin was born on 21 July 1978 in Nantou County, Taiwan. She received her MS degree in the Department of Information Technology and Applications from Taichung Healthcare and Management University, Taiwan, in 2003. Then she received her PhD degree in the Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, in 2011. She is currently an assistant professor at the Department of Humanities and Information Applications, Aletheia University, Taipei, Taiwan. Her research interests include computer-aided learning, software/physical agent, mobile technology, and multimedia system.

Zeng-Wei Hong was born on 28 June 1977 in Changhua, Taiwan. He received his MS and PhD degrees in Information Engineering and Computer Science from Feng Chia University, Taiwan, in 2001 and 2006, respectively. He is currently an associate professor at the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan. His current researches include system re-engineering, software agent, and scientific grid computing.

Yueh-Min Huang is a distinguished professor in the Department of Engineering Science, National Cheng-Kung University, Taiwan, ROC. His research interests include wireless networks, artificial intelligence, and e-Learning. He received his MS and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Arizona in 1988 and 1991, respectively. He has co-authored 2 books and has published over 140 refereed journal research papers. Dr Huang has received many research awards, such as the Best Paper Award of 2007 IEA/AIE Conference, Best Paper Award of the Computer Society of the Republic of China in 2003, the Awards of Acer Long-Term Prize in 1996, 1998, and 1999, Excellent Research Awards of National Microcomputer and Communication Contests in 2006. Dr Huang has been invited to give talks or served frequently in the program committee at national and international conferences. Dr Huang is in the editorial board of the Journal of Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing, Journal of Security and Communication Networks, and International Journal of Communication Systems. Huang is a senior member of the IEEE as well as IEEE Communication, Computer, and Circuits and Systems Societies.

Wei-Wei Shen is an associate professor of Feng Chia University, and an advisory member/teacher trainer of English Language Education Board at Taichung City Council in Taiwan. She received her MA degree at Essex University and PhD at the University of Leicester in the UK. Her research interests include teaching English as a second language, vocabulary teaching and learning, cultural keywords, and writing.

Jim-Min Lin was born on 5 March 1963 in Taipei, Taiwan. He received the BS degree in Engineering Science and the MS and the PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering, all from National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, in 1985, 1987, and 1992, respectively. From February 1993 to July 2005, he was an associate professor at the Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, Feng Chia University, Taichung City, Taiwan. Since August 2005, he has been a Full Professor at the same department. Since August 2012, he serves as the Director of Main Library. Since November 2008 to October 2011, he also served as the Secretary General of the Computer Society of the Republic of China (CSROC). His research interests include Operating Systems, Testable Design, Software Integration/Reuse, Embedded Systems, and Software Agent Technology.