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Is Your Virtual Teacher Hot Or Not?
from the does-the-avatar-matter? dept
A researcher in Florida is trying to see if students react better to computerized learning situations if the virtual teacher is more lifelike and attractive to them. Part of the idea is to inject a bit more "soul" into these virtual teachers, and hopefully make it so students feel more interested in what they have to say. While this might seem like something of a gimmick, some of the early results are positive (though, the message seems a bit mixed). A study was conducted using female math and science students, and the ones who interacted with the agents reported more "positive beliefs" about the subject matter than those who didn't use one of these virtual agents. Of course, there are a lot of other variables that could have impacted these results, so it's hard to say much definitive about them just yet. It's also worth noting that the students said they liked a "cool" female agent as a person they'd want to be like, but still preferred a geeky male agent (complete with bow tie) as a teacher when asked to choose.
Reader Comments
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Virtual Helpers
Did any choose the animated paper-clip?
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Re: Virtual Helpers
This is so stupied
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No Subject Given
somehow i think i'd have trouble learning from someone i couldnt stop thinking about in a sexual manner.
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Re: No Subject Given
That's why I dropped out of your mom's class.
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Re: No Subject Given
LOL
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Re: No Subject Given
HAHA your mom's class
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Re: No Subject Given
well, anonymous coward, if 200+ pound fifty year old women covered in surgery scars are your thing i'd say you chances of getting an education or even focusing on a job are pretty low here in the Land of the free and flabby.
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No Subject Given
"This cool and attractive virtual agent was seen by
young women as being a peer, but least like an
engineer."
I don't know - looks like a lifeless zombie to me.
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No Subject Given
Here's an idea, how bout they give up on the ghey virtual teacher thing and pump that research money into paying for a decent teacher. HAH! female engineering students! LOLZ
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No Subject Given
Not a chance that I would install any software from Sony. Call me paranoid but it is the same reason I will never install Real Player, even if they cleaned it up it once had spyware and that is enough to deter me.
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Re: No Subject Given
HA, yeah ur gonna want the article just below this one logan....
LOL...ur mom's class.....
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No Subject Given
Putting your kids in front of a television to substitute for parenting... Not the School system wants to do the same...
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No Subject Given
Putting your kids in front of a television to substitute for parenting... Now the School system wants to do the same...
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Re: No Subject Given
lol @ AC
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virtual boss
In the same way, all the comapanies can opt for virtual managers ! we all love it :)
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Re: virtual boss
This might seem stupid on the surface, but if you play video games, and communicate with people who play video games, you will quickly learn that men and boys get a kick out of attractive female computer characters. Lara Croft is probably the most notorious of them all. They should just license her likeness.. lol
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